Accessible Careers: Finding Employment With a Physical Disability

Searching for jobs as a physically disabled person in the UK can feel a little disheartening, with many resources simply redirecting towards agencies and local job centres. Although these are excellent resources in their own right and will certainly be able to help you find a job in the short term, these resources won’t always do a lot to help you build a long-term career.

In this article, we’d like to talk more directly about the challenges of finding a career as a physically disabled person. We’ll be discussing the challenges physical disabilities often create, some methods for overcoming them, and some of the fields that are best suited to physically disabled people.

The Challenges of Physical Disabilities

Physical disabilities can come in many forms but if there’s one commonality it’s that they often limit a person’s ability to perform physical tasks. Many—though not all—can also have a major impact on a person’s mobility, requiring them to use mobility aids such as scooters and crutches to get around.

In practice, this can place massive limitations on the career paths available to physically disabled people. Of course, the one universal when it comes to disabilities, is that no generalisation is ever quite accurate. The options available to two people with the same condition can vary wildly depending on the details of how that condition manifests.

The Best Jobs For Physically Disabled People

As with all disabilities, the best job for a physically disabled person will ultimately depend a lot on their specific condition, however there are some commonalities.

For example, people who develop physical disabilities while working in trades such as building, carpentry, and painting and decorating often find that these jobs are no longer practical for them.

That said, there are plenty of fields which are, broadly speaking, more accessible to people with physical disabilities. Some of these include:

• Teaching
• Administration
• HR
• IT
• Social Work
• Accounting

If you’re noticing a trend between these jobs, then you’d be correct. If you have a physical disability, then some of the best paying jobs available to you will require a level of IT literacy. If this is something you struggle with, then it may be worth brushing up on your IT skills.

If your disability makes it difficult for you to use a computer then it may also be worth looking into accessible/adaptive hardware such as expanded keyboards and alternative inputs.

On the other hand, if you’d rather avoid using computers altogether, then there are options open to you. From law to veterinary science, there are people with physical disabilities working in almost any field. Even more physical fields can often support disabled workers. Sport, in particular, is an area where many disabled people can have thriving careers.

The most important thing to remember is that a job doesn’t have to be a job. It can be tempting to get into the ‘take anything I can get’ mindset, especially if you feel doors have been closed to you. That said, your career is a lot more than any one job so never feel you have to settle for a dead-end. The right opportunity might be just around the corner.

Working From Home

Before we wrap up, we’d like to take a moment to talk about the importance of work-from-home opportunities, and the difference they can make.

Although the transition is still slow and many companies are reluctant to allow their employees to work from home full time, working from home can make all the difference for disabled employees.

Jobs for the physically disabled at home aren’t just about saving the company money by helping them avoid installing proper equipment. For many physically disabled people, working in a space that they’re familiar with, know how to navigate, and can access without the need for transport, makes a massive difference to productivity.

Furthermore, it can also reduce the daily risk of accidents and injuries. It might seem like a small thing but managing the morning rush can easily lead to people taking risks with their physical health. This is particularly true for those with mobility issues which is why work from home jobs for wheelchair users are so important.

If your employer is struggling to accommodate you in the workplace, then it may be a good idea to push them towards work-from-home. Employers in the UK are legally obliged to make fair adjustments so that you can do your job and while work-from-home may not be appropriate for every job, for many it can lead to increased productivity at practically no extra cost for the company.