Selected Presentations

Publications Home

Virtual Exclusion and Telework: Barriers and Opportunities of Technocentric Workplace Accommodation Policy

Slides On This Page

1. Virtual Exclusion and Telework: Barriers and Opportunities of Technocentric Workplace Accommodation Policy
2. Telework: The Pros and Cons
3. Telework and People with Disabilities
4. Key Barriers to Telework
5. Telework Policy Objectives
6. Telework Policy Objectives
7. RERC on Workplace Accommodations

Slide 1 of 7

Virtual Exclusion and Telework: Barriers and Opportunities of Technocentric Workplace Accommodation Policy

Slide 2 of 7

Telework: The Pros and Cons

• Telework: work reconstructed as a set of tasks that need to be accomplished – not necessarily linked to a physical location or a given individual

Slide 3 of 7

Telework and People with Disabilities

• Federal Policy Environment
  • U.S. EEOC recognizes telework as a "reasonable accommodation" under 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
  • New Freedom Initiative (NFI 2001) focuses on Telework to help people with disabilities enter the workforce
• How can we design policy to facilitate the integration of people with disabilities into the workplace in such a way as to optimize their interactions with other workers?

Slide 4 of 7

Key Barriers to Telework

People with disabilities face additional barriers than those faced by teleworkers in general

• Structural Barriers
• Policy/Regulatory Barriers
• Economic Barriers
• Technological Barriers
• Personal Barriers

Slide 5 of 7

Telework Policy Objectives

• Research
  • Tracking telework practices to provide information on factors hindering and supporting implementation of telework
  • Current telework policies and practices among employers and implementation outcomes
• Outreach
  • Inform employers of “hidden labor pool” of people with disabilities and benefits of telework
  • Educate policymakers on issues unique to teleworkers with disabilities
  • Begin dialogue with planners and other stakeholder professionals on the differences between physical and virtual work environments

Slide 6 of 7

Telework Policy Objectives

• Interventions
  • Development of telework skills and training incorporated into vocational rehabilitation programs
  • Establishment of a program similar to Ticket to Work program to assist people with disabilities in obtaining telework positions
  • Development of detailed federal policies to oversee telework (or update ADA with provisions for telework)
  • Tax incentives to confront the economic barriers faced by employers and their employees with disabilities
• Outcomes
  • Increased access/availability of government resources
  • Increased public/private sector knowledge transfer
  • Increased productivity of persons with disabilities
  • Development of a competitive market place for assistive/wireless technologies
  • Facilitation of convenient and independent lifestyles

Slide 7 of 7

RERC on Workplace Accommodations

This research was supported by grant #H133E020720 from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), U.S. Department of Education
Visit www.workrerc.org

Top of Page