Telework, also know as telecommuting, can be a great benefit to those with disabilities. Not everyone needs or wants to work from home but if you are disabled and want to work from home this is one way to accomplish that.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in their revised Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the Americans with Disabilities Act states that allowing an individual with a disability to work at home may be a form of reasonable accommodation.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide reasonable accommodation for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities.
Not all jobs can be performed at home but if you can reasonably perform your work from home and your employer offers telework opportunities to others it must allow employees with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in such a program.
Follow the link above to read the fact sheet that explains the ways that employers may use existing telework programs or allow an individual to work at home as a reasonable accommodation. Of course you don't have to be an employer to benefit from reading this information.
Information is power and the more you know the better prepared you will be when you approach your employer about the possibility of working from home.
After you read about what your employer needs to know try reading about Requesting Reasonable Accommodation and Small Employers and Reasonable Accommodation as well.
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