Workplace Accommodations for Teleworkers with Disabilities

1. Workplace Accommodations for Teleworkers with Disabilities February 8, 2007 Co-sponsored by the Southeast DBTAC and RERC on Workplace Accommodations

2. Presenter Karen Milchus, Co-Director RERC on Workplace Accommodations Funding Nat. Institute on Disability & Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Dept. of Education

3. Online Meeting Tips • Exit all background programs on your computer (e.g., Outlook, Word) to improve performance. • Identify yourself each time you speak. • Press and hold the Control Key (CTRL) to talk. • Release the Control Key (CTRL) after you have finished speaking. • Questions may be typed in if you do not have a working microphone.

4. Agenda • Telework as an Employment Option • Case Study - Jane • Telework Accommodations • Implementation & Resources

5. Telecommuting & Telework • A situation where an employee is working anywhere but in their traditional office • Telework = telecommuting = remote work • New Freedom Initiative uses term “telework”

6. Types of Teleworkers • Primary office in home / Full-time teleworkers • Shared office / Mobile professionals • Dual offices: Occasional teleworkers or day extenders (evening and weekend)

7. Agenda • Telework as an Employment Option • National Trends • Telework as an Accommodation • Who Teleworks? • Case Study - Jane • Telework Accommodations • Implementation & Resources

8. Telework: National Trends • 1877 – first teleworker was a bank president with phone line to his home • 1974 - “Telecommuting” coined in a transportation thesis by Jack Nilles • New technologies (e.g., computers, fax) begin to open new possibilities for working remotely • 1990’s - Early adopters | 2000’s - Rapid growth

9. Telework: National Trends • 17% of Americans telework full-time while 30% telework at least one day a week. (DOL 2003) • One estimate that 7% of employed persons with disabilities work from home 20+ hours. (Tahmincioglu)

10. Telework: National Trends • By the year 2010, more than half of American wage earners will spend more than two days a week working outside the office. (Sulzer Infrastructure Services, London)

11. What is job accommodation? Strategies, environmental modifications or assistive technology that help a person perform work-related tasks that he or she might not be able to perform otherwise, or might not be able to perform as efficiently

12. Telework: A Reasonable Accommodation? • U.S. EEOC recognizes telework as a “reasonable accommodation” • New Freedom Initiative (NFI 2001) has a focus on Telework • Telework may mitigate barriers associated with transportation and the physical characteristics of the workplace

13. Home-Based Employment Some of the issues related to teleworkers also apply to people who run their own home-based business.

14. Who Wants to Telework? • Work RERC conducted a retrospective study of VR accommodation referrals for Georgia • At the time of the assessment, 23.7% intended to work from home • Among those who could be reached for followup interviews, 27% worked from home

15. Potential Teleworkers: Occupations Data from retrospective study of GA DRS assessments. Numbers in bold are statistically significant (X2<0.01)

16. Potential Teleworkers: Disabilities Data from retrospective study of GA DRS assessments. Numbers in bold are statistically significant (X2<0.01)

17. Agenda • Telework as an Employment Option • Case Study – Jane • Accommodation Process • Accommodations Used by Jane • Telework Accommodations • Implementation & Resources

18. Case Study - Jane • Progressive MS • Vocational rehabilitation client • Interested in a telework position to accommodate problems with transportation and fluctuations in health

19. Accommodation Process • Worker assessment • Work site / job analysis • Select / provide accommodations • Follow up

20. Jane: Worker Assessment • Progressive MS • Uses a power wheelchair w/ joystick control • Limited use of arms & hands (can raise right hand about four inches from lap) • Occasional eye strain

21. Job analysis • What are the specific duties for the position • What are the critical tasks and key result areas of the position • What methods or processes are used to perform the tasks in the job • What tools, materials and equipment are used to perform the tasks in the job

22. Jane: Jobs • Insurance Company (initial job; 2 years) • Make phone calls to doctors to get updates on medical status of insurance claimants • Publication Company (later job) • Phone surveys of home maintenance and repair company customers to determine their satisfaction with services

23. Task analysis • Analysis of what an employee is required to do in terms of actions and/or cognitive processes to achieve a task • Most job tasks can be broken into many smaller, discrete, singular, specific sub-behaviors

24. Jane: Job Tasks (both jobs) • Make phone calls • Document comments • Send electronic reports to employer

25. Task analysis – telephone use • Detect telephone ring, identify caller • Lift receiver to ear • Speak into receiver • Hear responses • Hang up

26. Jane: Using a phone • Speaker phone eliminates need to lift receiver • Phone has a switch to activate headset pickup

27. Jane: Document comments • Records phone conversations with a tape recorder; reviews tape to complete report • Voice-activated tape recorder • Also used with mouthstick and metal extenders on buttons to increase leverage and ease of use

28. Jane: Electronic reports Computer with office software and: • Voice recognition • On-screen keyboard (Microsoft) substitutes for voice when too much background noise • Larger monitor and Magnifier (Microsoft) used to reduce eyestrain

29. Jane: Work space • Custom computer table allows her to drive wheelchair into position over a platform that contains her standard mouse • Workstation includes a stand for her mouthstick

30. Jane: Other technology Additional technology provided to reduce the need for an attendant during the day: • Wheelchair accessible self-feeding tray • Environmental control for lights

31. Agenda • Telework as an Employment Option • Case Study - Jane • Telework Accommodations • Furnishings (Workstations) • Computers & Computer Access • Telecommunications • Other Accommodations • Implementation & Resources

32. Reported Work Accommodations

33. Furnishings (Workstations) Among the 13 people interviewed: • Dedicated workstation/desk (6) • Filing system (2); bookstand (1) • Ergonomic chair, footrest, arm rests (1 each) • Organized tool placement (1) • Wheeled table to allow work from supine position (1)

34. Effective Telework Workstation • Distraction-free • Existing workstation may not be appropriate

35. Effective Telework Workstation • Adequate height / leg clearance • Adequate work space • Fits into the available space Photo Source: SC Telework Loan Program

36. Effective Telework Workstation • Materials & tools readily accessible (e.g., turn table) • Workstation should fit the type of work

37. Specialized Workstations "Well, technically he's telecommuting." Cartoon by David Harbaugh, Harvard Business Review

38. Specialized Workstations Example: Certified life coach; disability permits her to be upright only 3 hrs / day • Monitor mount from Easy Chair Workstation • Used existing couch, pillows, cushions From Mark Russel, Assistive Technology Solutions RESNA Job Accommodation Show & Tell

39. Computers & Computer Access Among the 13 interviewees: • Eight needed a computer • Seven provided by VR • One provided by relative • Two replaced their computer post-VR • Common AT for computer use included: • Voice input (5) • Trackball (3) • Mini keyboard, touchscreen, scanner, screen magnification (1 each)

40. Telecommunications Among the 13 interviewees: • Tape recorder for note taking (2) • Fax modem (1) • Few accessible phones provided • Headsets double for voice / phone • Other than Internet, no other conferencing / remote work technology was used

41. Home Modifications • Few home modifications made • Removed walls, changed carpet, ramp • May have been previously implemented • Not an employer responsibility, but VR occasionally paid

42. Agenda • Telework as an Employment Option • Case Study - Jane • Telework Accommodations • Implementation & Resources

43. Implementation: Interactive Process • Employer and employee should follow an interactive process to determine which accommodations should be obtained • Employee should be involved – may have best insight as to what will work • Employer makes final decision • Equipment / telecommunication services may be needed simply for teleworking – not specifically as an accommodation

44. Implementation: Accommodation Needs Are Ongoing (& not just VR)

45. Implementation: Training • Training • Two received computer training • Others needed training • Person who received the fax modem never used it because he didn’t know how • Input from co-workers becomes more difficult -- can’t just ask the person sitting next to you

46. Implementation: New Challenges • Task sharing becomes a less likely accommodation option • Effective communication is a significant issue for making telework successful • New collaborative and virtual workspaces may not be accessible • Interoperability issues

47. Resources: New Freedom Initiative • Creates "Access to Telework" Fund • $20 million annually in federal matching funds to states • Used to guarantee low-income loans for people with disabilities to purchase equipment to telecommute from home. • Makes a Company's Contribution of Computer and Internet Access for Home Use by Employees with Disabilities a Tax-Free Benefit.

48. Resources • ITAC – www.workingfromanywhere.org • Canadian Telework Assn. – www.ivc.ca • Careers from Home (Job listings) –www.careersfromhome.com • Access to Telework Fund Program - www.resna.org/AFTAP/telework/ • Telework as a Reasonable Accomm. (EEOC fact sheet) - www.eeoc.gov/facts/telework.html

49. Thank You