By Angela Yang Globe Correspondent,Updated September 9, 2021,

The pandemic upended corporate culture as workers traded office buildings for their kitchen tables. For most, the change was largely a matter of convenience. But for many people with disabilities, it was transformative – getting to and from a workplace was the most arduous part of their day.

From the city to the suburbs and beyond, getting from one point to the other in a timely fashion has always been complicated for them. Some Boston workers live in rural towns far from public transit stations and are either unable to drive to work or need support to do so.

Remote Work Made Life Easier for Employees With Disabilities. Advocates Say the Option Should Stay full article

Melanie Carroll
Aug 18 2021

New Zealand’s “disability employment crisis” continues, with unemployment rising for people with disabilities, says the chief executive of Workbridge.

Unemployment remained high for people with a disability, with only 42.5 per cent of working age disabled people in work in the three months ended June, Stats NZ said on Wednesday.

That compared with the 78.9 per cent of non-disabled people aged 15 to 64 who were employed over the June quarter.

“I’m pretty despondent about it, to be honest, because there is a fractional increase,” said Jonathan Mosen, head of disability employment organisation Workbridge.

People With a Disability Still Struggle to Find Work – Under Half are Employed full article

The pandemic called attention to workplace barriers for disabled people. By Kiara Alfonseca
July 15, 2021

As COVID-19 restrictions loosen and the country settles into a new normal, disability advocates have mixed feelings about the future of the workplace and public health in the U.S.

Marcie Roth, executive director and chief executive officer of the World Institute on Disability, hopes the accommodations that have been made for all workers during the pandemic continue as the world goes back to normal.

“For lots of people with disabilities, returning to normal horrifies us,” Roth said. “Returning to normal means exclusion, inaccessibility, rigidity, a lack of imagination. Rather than the notion that we would be building back better … we would really like to be building forward better.”

Return to the Workplace Highlights Accessibility Concerns for Disabled Employees full article

Tim Rose
Contributed to The Globe and Mail
Published May 19, 2021

Canadians with disabilities have long faced significant barriers to employment. Now, more than a year into the major economic and social tsunami of COVID-19, those barriers have been exacerbated.

As a high-risk group, Canadians living with disabilities – both visible and invisible – have been more socially isolated during the pandemic, and a recent Statistics Canada survey shows that one-third of respondents with disabilities experienced job loss in the past year.

As a person with a significant physical disability, I have first-hand experience with the many challenges this community faces. For several years after completing postsecondary education, I was the unemployed, talented candidate with a disability, struggling to find a career.

Corporate Canada, It’s Time to Look Beyond Ramps and Elevators full article

News provided by
Employment and Social Development Canada

OTTAWA, ON, March 23, 2021 /CNW/ – The Government of Canada remains committed to building a more inclusive and accessible Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

One way to strengthen Canada’s workforce and economic recovery is to address the challenges experienced by persons with disabilities in securing gainful employment.

To help improve workplace accessibility and access to jobs, the Government of Canada introduced the National Workplace Accessibility Stream under the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities.

Government of Canada Helps Employers Create Accessible and Inclusive Workplaces for Employees With Disabilities full article

The pandemic has hit the disabilities community particularly hard. This founder of a startup that makes software more accessible warns that’s a major loss for your innovation. By Cat Noone

Everyone has been struck by the pandemic, but the individuals who typically fail to be taken into account in society and business have felt some of the harshest blowback of all. Diverse employees have been facing greater challenges, work-related stress, and fear for their professional futures more than non-diverse workers.

4 Reasons Why Hiring Disabled Workers Is Good for Business full article

Research also finds discussing salary early in the interview process hurts all candidates Rutgers University
Science Daily,September 10, 2020

The findings, published in the International Journal of Conflict Management, contrast this with the results for candidates without disabilities who were positively evaluated when they highlighted either hard or soft skills during initial job interviews.

“Job interviews are challenging for everyone, but particularly so for people with disabilities who have always had difficulties presenting themselves favorably to gain employment,” said Rutgers Business School professor Mason Ameri.

“People with disabilities encounter an implicit bias that they will not be as productive as their non-disabled peers,” said Ameri, who co-authored the study. “Knowing how to navigate the conversation with potential employers is critical for leveling the playing field.”

For Job Seekers With Disabilities, Soft Skills Don’t Impress in Early Interviews full article