“[If] the #coronavirus has proven one thing: it’s that companies, colleges and orgs have no excuse not to make themselves accessible to everyone.”
The beginning of that thread details the user’s difficulties finding employment that would accommodate their needs, despite being able and willing to relocate internationally. At one point, they quit volunteering information about their disability just to get interviews.
Other users echo statements made in this thread. One user commented that they were denied remote accommodations when they became chronically ill, despite having coworkers who already worked from home.
Reading the experiences of these people, it’s difficult to justify the reluctance of American businesses to support remote work for workers who need it. I can only speculate that businesses are reluctant to hire workers whom they perceive to be more likely to use benefits, like paid sick leave, than their abled counterparts.
It should be noted that both Amazon and Boeing are offering paid sick leave to employees affected by the COVID-19 virus. However, plans for remote work and closures of facilities followed reports of confirmed cases among employees. Amazon employees accused the company of not doing enough to protect them from the virus and started a petition urging further steps. Boeing has closed their Puget sound facility following the death of an affected employee.
