5 People Share Their Accessible WFH Setups — And They Get the Job Done

Millions of people who were used to going into offices to work have spent the past year trying to do the same job at home. It’s certainly been an ongoing task, especially when it comes to finding a professional background in a quiet corner, but what about people who have to accommodate their bodies’ needs alongside their jobs’ requirements? 

For many disabled people, a lot of thought has to go into a WFH setup, from figuring out how to sit for extended periods of time, to even determining whether sitting up is a possibility due to pain management. And besides having a comfortable place to work, other programs and tools may be needed to get things done. These considerations aren’t necessarily about “being creative” with a WFH setup as much as they’re about making jobs accessible.

I spoke to five people with a range of disabilities about their WFH setups, and the considerations they’ve made to tackle their to-do lists. If the pandemic taught everyone that an office can be anywhere, then good work can be done by anyone—including disabled people. 

“I set out to create a space where I could work on my laptop while taking weight off my hip to alleviate pain from my bone disease. The more I can elevate my legs, the less pain I have, generally. I found this chair that has a pretty wide range for how far back it can recline, and how far up it can elevate my legs. The chair was expensive, but also necessary, given I was working from home during the pandemic. There was also a lot of back-and-forth with the company that sells the chair, because they couldn’t finish setting it up the first time and had to have someone come out again weeks later.”

Andrew Green, Alberta, Canada 

“I work as a social benefits advocate for a non-profit assisting people with disabilities in the appeal and denial processes of social benefits. I have not been to the office since September and do everything from a home office. I’m blind. My home office may not seem that unusual or different to most people. It’s just a 27-inch iMac, an iPhone, an iPad Pro, and a braille display.

“One of the most common challenges faced by Blind people during the pandemic is social distancing, especially on public transit. Some Blind people are better at it than I am and I admire the skill. If I go to work, I need to use public transit and I struggle to maintain distance from others. Often, other people make no effort to distance themselves from me.

“I am a fairly-recent college graduate who works as a software engineer, and I’ve dealt with mental health challenges and neurodivergence for the majority of my life. 

“Prior to the pandemic, I worked in an office most of the time, but on high-symptom days, I worked from home. I quickly learned that tools and workspaces that weren’t comfortable would become significant stressors — the basic IKEA sit/stand desk and chair I had no longer suited my needs. So I sat on my couch with my laptop instead, causing pain in my hands and wrists.

“I am a person with a complex set of disabilities (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and degenerative disc disease), and I needed a space that would allow me to work for a full day in relative comfort. I have a lap board for my laptop. I’m working from an electric recliner, which I have equipped with a three-level heating pad. I have my feet up on a pillow, and I’m covered with a blanket at all times. I keep all of my essential daily meds in the tray next to me and a drink in the cupholder. And because I’m a woman over 40 and I’m on a heating pad all day, I always have a fan pointed at me.

“I am incredibly pleased with my workspace. It’s the kind of thing I never thought I could have, after years of trying to seek out any little accomodation from my old employers. Two years ago, I started renting an office for my writing and private therapy practice. At the start of the pandemic, as I pivoted to online therapy, I found that my clients liked seeing me online. My old office was ADA-compliant, but for many of my disabled clients, transportation and making appointments was still a problem. So I started imagining an ideal workspace as if I were starting from scratch. 

“I ended up with what is now a shed or the office version of a tiny house. Since the space is just for me, it also meant forgoing the expected convention of a desk and chair. Chairs hurt my back, I hate them! A couch, however, lets me sit in whatever way necessary to manage the ever-shifting needs of my joints. It’s also a place where I can store my extensive memory aids for my fiction writing. And finally, the workspace was measured out precisely to let me have room for my physical therapy, even after all my books and furniture were in. I just move the cart I use for my computer, throw down my yoga mats, and I’m ready to go. On top of it all, it’s big enough not to feel cramped, but small enough that cleaning it never feels overwhelming, even on bad pain days. The whole thing cost me less than a year’s rent at my old place, and now I have it for years to come. I can’t overstate the effect this has had on my quality of life, quality of work, and overall happiness.”