Telework research and practice: impacts on people with disabilities.

Advances in Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), particularly in the mobility of computing power and virtual private networking (VPN) capabilities, have provided unprecedented flexibility regarding how and where work is performed. Employees, particularly those in knowledge-based jobs, are no longer tethered to a specific location to complete work. While technological advances provide the capacity for work from remote locations, the motivations for doing so are broad, encompassing legislated environmental considerations and perceived benefits to the employer and employee alike. The 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act mandated a 25% reduction in employee commutes for large organizations, and similar trip reductions for major cities [1]. The Clean Air Act did not specifically mandate telework as a required form of trip reduction; however, its role in reducing traffic and air pollution was explicitly detailed in the National Telecommuting and Air Quality Act [2]. Among the employer benefits for telework are the ability to recruit and retain talented employees, increase productivity, and reduce operation and real estate expenses [3,4], while employee benefits include increased productivity, job satisfaction, and flexibility [5–8]. Telework has been defined as the “practice of substituting communications and/or computer technology for actual travel to work or a central office” [9]. This definition encompasses a broad range of work practices, including: those who work solely from home [9–15], those who work from home to supplement other work modes [9–15], home-based or self-employment [9,12,14], flexible workplaces [9,11], work from community-based telework centers [9–11, 13,15], and work conducted while traveling [9–11]. While all of these work modes are considered to be telework, there are inherent differences between them and relative advantages to each of them, particularly to individuals with disabilities. Telework has the potential to facilitate employment for people with disabilities by removing barriers presented in traditional work environments and replacing the need to be physically at a specific location with ICT [9]. This exchange removes architectural and transportation barriers for those with physical, sensory, and cognitive limitations by allowing them to work in their home environment which, ideally, has been optimized to their functional abilities [10,11,15]. Additionally, telework allows employees to control their own schedules, thereby accommodating fatigue, stamina, and pain-related barriers to traditional fulltime work [10,15,16]. It allows access to medicallyrelated personal care services during the workday [15, 16]. In many cases, these services are only covered by insurance if they are provided in the home. Finally, it is thought that telework may benefit employees with disabilities by reducing disability-related bias and discrimination [10].