Home working for disabled people ‘must continue’ after lockdown
By Ashleigh Crowter
BBC News
Published
18 September 2020
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image captionHome working means disabled people do not face issues with commuting
New opportunities for disabled people to work from home must not be lost when the coronavirus pandemic is over, campaigners have said.
Disability Wales and Leonard Cheshire Cymru called on employers and the Welsh Government to help disabled people work from home in future.
More flexible working could open up thousands of new jobs for disabled people, they believe.
Home working was widely adopted during lockdown.
Because of problems commuting or accessing public transport, the charities believe it would help many people into work.
- Lockdown ‘helped me contribute more at work’
- Disabled ‘pushed out’ of post-lockdown world
Currently, 48.6% of disabled people are employed in Wales, with the unemployment rate for disabled people (8.9%) twice that of able-bodied people (3.4%), according to figures from the charities.
"It shouldn’t have taken a pandemic to show some of the positive opportunities for employers to allow and enable remote and flexible working," said Rhian Stangroom-Teel from disability charity Leonard Cheshire [...]