Abstract
Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected the lives of people with disabilities (PWD). How the pandemic affects the employment of PWD and employers has yet to be determined. We aimed to investigate the employment consequences of the pandemic as experienced by PWD and employers. The research questions were: (1) What employment effects do PWD experience, and what business changes do employers encounter as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic? (2) What challenges have PWD encountered during the pandemic?Methods Cross-sectional online surveys of 733 PWD and 67 employers in the Midwestern United States.Results Compared to non-disabled peers, PWD encountered more challenges in employment during the pandemic. We found high percentages of both employers and PWD experiencing employment changes and business shutdown during the pandemic. For PWD whose employment was not affected, 14.6% of the participants (n = 107) expected a loss of income and worried about the economic uncertainty of the pandemic. Unemployment for PWD is high due to illness or disability, being laid-off or furloughed, business reductions, and not feeling safe to work. However, only about 18.6% of unemployed PWD (n = 16) received pay or benefits for the time they were not working even though more than half filed for unemployment benefits.Conclusions The pandemic adversely affected employment of PWD as reported by workers and employers. Findings parallel the experience of the non-disabled workforce, but reveal vulnerabilities that reflect disability consequences and the need for job accommodations. Results reveal emergent needs for policy supports to reduce the disparities experienced by PWD in the workplace.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 464-472 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 2022 |
Funding
We appreciate the efforts of the participants who shared their work experience during the pandemic. This research was supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) (Grant Number: 90RTEM0001). Some PWD are at a high risk of infection from COVID-19 due to compromised immune and respiratory systems. Social distancing caused disruptions in care for PWD who rely on home health or personal assistants []. Despite the significant effects of the pandemic on PWD, the Executive and Legislative branches of the federal government made no disability-specific policy changes. Labor policies established by the US Department of Labor and monitored by the National Conference of State Legislatures, 2020, such as the Family First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) program, offered financial support to Americans unable to work due to the pandemic [] regardless of disability status. As people are getting vaccinated in the US and businesses are re-opening, employers will need to adhere to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act []. Well-designed and sustained labor along with public health policies were critical during the pandemic. Policies should also address PWD’s needs for healthcare services, employment, transportation, smart technologies, and communication technology.
Keywords
- COVID-19
- Disabled persons
- Employment
- Return to work
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Occupational Therapy
- Rehabilitation
