How to support employees with disabilities during COVID-19

Published 2 Min Read

The coronavirus pandemic is having a harsh impact on adults with disabilities, putting more pressure on employers to adopt better benefits and policies to support staff with special needs.

The unemployment rate for people with disabilities was at 80% in 2019, according to the U.S. Labor Bureau of Statistics. Since the pandemic began in March, 1 in 5 workers with disabilities lost their jobs versus 1 in 7 of their able-bodied peers. Nearly one million jobs have been lost in the disabled community.

Once an employer hires people with disabilities, they must support and enable them with the proper equipment and accessible tools to do their jobs, Tuman says.

“There is a huge misconception among employers that the cost of providing accommodation to people who have disabilities in the workplace is prohibitive, that the cost of providing it is a huge challenge,” she says. “But that is truly not the case.”

Evelina Nedlund
Associate editor

Evelina Nedlund is an associate editor of Employee Benefit News and Employee Benefit Adviser. She can be contacted via email at evelina.nedlund@arizent.com.


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