A Brookings Institution study estimates that long Covid is keeping as many as 4 million Americans out of work. People afflicted with long Covid need policies and accommodations similar to those “we’ve been making for people with disabilities or chronic illness for years,” said Susanne Bruyere, director of the Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability at Cornell University.
A disability can affect mobility and cognition but also the ability to see, hear, live independently and perform self-care, such as dressing or bathing. And as those with disabilities know full well, physical or mental handicaps can make it tough to find a job. For Bela Gaytan, it was hard to advance her career until remote work became more commonplace. Between her full-time job in instructional design and part-time work as a social-media manager, she’s more than quadrupled her pre-pandemic earnings.
Gaytan, 46, who suffers from chronic pain and has a host of medical issues that cause cognitive and mobility impairment, used her newfound earnings to buy more ergonomic equipment for her desk and medical braces that insurance wouldn’t cover. “I really went all out trying to make myself more comfortable,” Gaytan said. “I'm still in shock sometimes that I can buy things that will make my life better without worrying if I'll have enough money to pay rent.”
Just because a disabled person is working doesn’t necessarily mean that the conditions are fair. There’s a nationwide effort to crack down on the labor certificates, allowed under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, that let companies pay people with disabilities a subminimum wage, but many employers still use them.
Some US employers, meanwhile, are hell-bent on getting workers back in the office now that Covid concerns have largely abated. “Unfortunately, we’re hearing more about companies saying that’s what we did during the pandemic, and now that that’s over, we’re going ‘back to normal,’ which is in-person work,” said Daniel Van Sant, director of disability policy at the Harkin Institute, a research center at Drake University in Iowa. “It’s disregarding any of the successes people were having working from home.”
Maureen Dunne, a consultant and advocate for neuro-diverse workers — which includes people with autism, mental illness and other neurological or developmental conditions such as ADHD and dyslexia — is more optimistic. She’s seen an increase in client interest, especially as many employers embrace diversity and accessibility and are more open to flexible work options.
“You can hire someone and check a box, but to find these models that are really working, you need to put neuro-diverse people in meaningful roles that are truly taking that organization forward,” said Dunne, who has a child with autism. “I do see more interest and movement in that direction.”
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.