Inclusive employment after COVID-19: access beyond working from home
Learnings from COVID-19: Hire more people with disability in the workforce
By Brendan · Originally published 21 May 2020
Original article
Brendan is the principal consultant at My Bespoke Recruiter and is passionate about assisting people with disabilities find employment.
People with disabilities can often be excluded when business owners consider workforce options, policies, procedures, team meetings, and work social events. I and many other entrepreneurs with disabilities work from home for this very reason.
Undoubtedly, working from home is something that many able-bodied employees have experienced for the first time during COVID-19. (We can now all fully appreciate how isolating it actually is.) Well, this is the norm for people with disabilities.
So, what’s stopping us from hiring more people with disability? People with disability have been doing this WFH thing for years, and we’ve demonstrated how productively we can do it.
[Clickability update, October 2026: These figures are historical and their source period is not established in the export. ABS disability findings for 2022 provide a dated statistical source; do not compare employment measures without checking their definitions.]
The sobering statistics
Look at the statistics: Australia ranks 21st out of 28 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) membership of countries for the employment of people with disabilities. 21st out of 28!
But the statistic that strikes me hardest: only 53% of people living with disabilities, who are of working age, are employed. 53%!
Now that we are all experiencing isolation and testing our ability to work from home, what’s stopping us from engaging people with disabilities in our workforce?
What’s stopping us?
Did you know that a more diverse team leads to better service and product design outcomes?
Did you know that people with disabilities are often highly qualified, on average stay with employers for longer, and have less sick days and less work related injuries?
According to the World Economic Forum, people engaged in the workforce with a disability have greater economic independence, choice and control over their lives and actively contribute to the economy in many other ways.
So, while we are all working from home, let’s reflect on the facts and consult with members of our community on how to utilise the skills and knowledge of people with disabilities in our business models.
Clickability editorial update: October 2026
Discuss the work conditions that help you do the role
Identify the tasks and access barriers involved, then consider what changes would help. Working from home might be useful, unsuitable or one part of a broader arrangement. Explain what you need without feeling you must promise better attendance than everyone else.
JobAccess adjustment information provides a starting point. Check the actual employer process and role requirements. Your interests and skills matter alongside access needs; neither the pandemic example nor a population statistic predicts your employment experience.
Assess the applicant fairly and ask about practical adjustments
Use the requirements of the role and the applicant’s skills rather than assumptions about disability. Discuss access to recruitment, equipment, communication and the work environment. Do not assume remote work resolves every barrier or that all disabled employees want it.
Use JobAccess guidance to consider adjustments. Make work events and information accessible as well as the core task. Inclusion should not depend on an applicant proving that disabled people are universally more loyal or less likely to be absent.
