A Scoping Review of Research Exploring Working Life Practices of People with Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The aims

The aims of the scoping review are, firstly, to map relevant research literature and examine the extent, range and characteristics of research conducted in 2020–2022 exploring how people with disabilities cope with the pandemic situation in relation to their working lives and what working practices, digital technologies, and strategies they applied; secondly, to summarise and disseminate research findings presented in the research literature included in the scoping review.

Stage 1: Research questions

The scoping review was conducted as part of the project ‘Working life during the COVID-19 pandemic: social participation, learning experiences, design opportunities and future work life for people with disabilities’ (University of Gothenburg, RISE, and Malmö university, 2021). The aim is to explore how the experiences gained from the transition towards remote work during the pandemic can contribute to improving the conditions for people with disabilities to participate in and contribute to working life. ‘Working life’ is here referred to as any form of employment (part/full time, volunteer assignments, temporary or subsidised employment etc.) at a workplace within the public, private or idea-based sector (civil society).

In line with the project aims, the scoping review was guided by the research questions:

• According to existing research:

  • • How has the working life of people with disabilities been adapted to the new conditions caused by the pandemic?

  • • What strategies did people with disabilities use to manage their working life during the pandemic situation?

  • • What kinds of digital technologies and tools did people with disabilities use to partake in working life during the pandemic?

Stage 2: Identify research studies

A search strategy and specific inclusion and exclusion criteria (Table 1) were developed. Two university librarians and experts in database searches formulated a search query (Appendix 1). The reliability of the study was strengthened by having the university librarians and three researchers (the authors of this article, from now on referred to as the reviewers) decide upon the search query and selection of keywords.

The search was implemented in August 2022 and finalised on October 31, 2022, in the bibliographic databases: Scopus, Cinahl, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital library, Psycinfo, education database, sociological abstracts, social services abstracts, ASSIA (Applied Social Sciences and Abstracts) and sociology database. The ‘snowball’ technique (Bryman et al. 2022) was also applied to identify relevant publications to include.

Stage 3: Select research studies

The database search generated a large number (n = 4 364) of research studies (Figure 1). In addition, research studies (n = 805) were identified via other search methods (snowball technique, Google scholar etc). A two-step screening process was conducted to assess the relevance of the research studies. The first step consisted of importing the citations into the online review system Rayyan (2023) for a collaborative screening of titles and abstracts. All citations were individually screened by three reviewers applying the same inclusion and exclusion criteria (Table 1).

Figure 1

The citations were marked with ‘Include’, ‘Exclude’ and ‘Maybe’. The citations that were marked differently by the reviewers or with a ‘Maybe’ were screened again and then jointly marked. Duplicate articles were removed. The process resulted in a large part of the research studies being eliminated since they were found irrelevant.

In the second step, the remaining research studies (n = 68), and research studies (n = 60) identified via other search methods were imported to the online bibliographic manager Zotero (Zotero 2023). The research studies were divided between three reviewers for a new round of screening process. Having read the publications in detail, eight research studies were selected to be included in the scoping review.

Stage 4: Map and analyse the data

The next stage consisted of mapping the data presented in the publications. Information related to aims, research methods, approaches, population, type of disability and work, and geographical location was collected. The types of disabilities were divided into five overarching groups: motor disabilities, hearing disabilities, visual disabilities, cognitive or intellectual disabilities, and chronic illness (World Health Organization and The World Bank 2011). Previous research emphasises the importance of understanding the intersectionality of the different dimensions of how the COVID-19 pandemic affected people’s participation in society and working life (Thomas et al. 2023). To develop a deeper understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic affected people with disabilities, we ought to look at further dimensions beyond disabilities that may marginalise people, e.g., gender, ethnicity, class and geography (Cameron and Curran 2022). Thus, whether the research studies assumed intersectional approaches or not was also registered.

A form was developed to chart the data (Table 2). The reviewers strived to follow a uniform approach; however, as also noted by others (Badger et al. 2000), this is not always possible since research publications sometimes fail to present data in the most accessible formats. Together, the data chart formed the basis of the descriptive analysis of the research studies.

Data on the results of the research studies reported upon in the publications was also collected. A thematic analysis and an inductive approach were assumed to analyse the data and identify patterns of meaning (themes) (Braun and Clarke 2023). The approach allowed for the data to determine the themes, that is, the themes originated from the data materials themselves (bottom-up) and not from predetermined categories. The themes were used as analytical tools to structure, interpret and describe the research results and formed the basis of thematic analysis.

Stage 5: Compile, summarise and report the results of the descriptive and thematic analysis

The descriptive and thematic analyses of the data charted from the publications resulted in two types of narrative accounts of existing research. Firstly, the descriptive analysis of the extent, range and characteristics of the research studies shed light on the dominant areas of research in this field. This contributed to fulfilling the first aim of this scoping review, that is, to map and describe research studies exploring how people with disabilities cope with the pandemic situation in relation to their working lives.

Secondly, the thematic analysis and summary of the research results presented in the publications provide a state-of-the-art of the field, reveal knowledge gaps and point out potential directions for future research. The thematic analysis resulted in four themes used to describe the results in a narrative format. This contributed to fulfilling the second aim of this scoping review, that is, to summarise and disseminate research findings presented in the existing research literature.

Description of the research studies

Descriptive data of the eight publications is charted in Table 2. The column ‘Author(s)’ lists the author(s) and year of publication (full references can be found in the reference list). ‘Aims’ presents the aim(s) of the study. ‘Study design’ is the approach and methods applied. ‘Participants’ presents the number of participants and the type of disability. The column ‘Intersectionality’ indicates whether an intersectional approach was assumed. Work’ presents the work area addressed in the publication. ‘Country’ is the country where the study was conducted.

Seven articles were published in 2021 and one in 2022. Two of the articles are published in the field of human-computer interaction, two articles in rehabilitation studies, two articles in nursing studies, one in disability studies, one in sociology, one in work sciences, and finally, one article in the field of security studies. Six of the studies were conducted in the USA, one in the UK and one in Colombia.

The aims of the eight research studies varied. One study investigated company characteristics and disability inclusion practices related to the employment of people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The other seven studies aimed at exploring working life during the pandemic from the perspective of disabled workers. Two of these studies specifically explored the topic of telework, and what access means in this context. Two studies aimed at understanding changes in daily life, including working life, during the pandemic and how this impacted the lives of people with disabilities. One study aimed at shedding light on the experiences of people with disabilities working in higher education.

Six of the studies assumed a qualitative approach and two a quantitative approach using online surveys. The six qualitative studies were all based on interviews, whereof two were focus group interviews conducted online via video conferencing platforms and four individual interviews whereof two were conducted via video conferencing platforms and two via telephone.

The two studies assuming a quantitative approach involved 466 and 485 participants. The participants in the first study represented the human resources departments, also including managers and professionals who made hiring decisions. The latter study involved university employees whereof 43 indicated at least one disability. The kinds of disability were not specified.

The six qualitative studies involved from 9 to 38 participants, on average 25 participants. Two of the studies specifically involved participants with cognitive or intellectual disabilities, 36 and 9 participants partook, as did 2 business professionals supportive of neurodiversity. One study with 26 participants specifically addressed visual disabilities; one study with 14 participants specifically addressed mobility disabilities. Two of the studies addressed all types of disabilities and involved 38 and 25 participants.

Seven of the studies gathered demographic data on the participants, such as gender, ethnicity, race, age and geography. These dimensions were, however, not addressed when analysing the data, which means that none of the eight research studies assumed an intersectional approach.

Two studies did not specify the type of work or employment of their participants. The rest of the studies dealt with remote working settings, often in hybrid settings. One study dealt with higher education work and one study with high-skilled work in software and engineering-related fields. One study dealt with remote work in all sectors. Another study involved participants from a wide range of work sectors, from information technology to retail trade. One study specifically addressed collaborative remote work.

To summarise, seven of the eight research studies took a point of departure in the lived experiences of people with disabilities and their working practices and strategies applied during the pandemic. One study indirectly addressed the working lives of disabled workers by exploring the characteristics of companies and their inclusion practices related to employees with disabilities. Six out of eight studies assumed a qualitative approach and were based on interview data. None of the interviews were conducted face-to-face, but in remote settings since keeping distance from others was recommended during the pandemic. The two quantitative studies used online surveys. The working life settings explored were primarily the kind of work that could be conducted in remote settings, that is, office-based work. All of the studies can be sorted into the fields of disability research and social sciences, also including the field of human-computer interaction. None of the studies assumed an intersectional perspective. The majority of the studies were conducted in a Western context.

Four themes addressing working life

The thematic analysis resulted in four themes addressing the working life of people with disabilities during the pandemic.

Theme: 3 The relationship with employers and work colleagues

The third theme addresses the relationships between people with disabilities and their employers and colleagues. In these relationships, support and empathy are central elements.

People with disabilities often rely on support from colleagues to manage the remote working situation. In remote meetings, this may involve asking someone to repeat things that were not heard clearly due to sound or hearing issues, or asking the presenter to explain what is shown on screen if visually impaired (Tang 2021). For neurodivergent persons with concentration challenges, it may involve reaching out to colleagues to recall meetings when they were not able to pay attention the whole time (Das et al. 2021). To be the one who often interrupts meetings with such requests can cause a nuisance, as in the case of colleagues that do not understand the situations of people with disabilities. Working remotely from home makes it more difficult to spontaneously reach out to a colleague for quick assistance (Epstein et al. 2021).

The ability of the management and the human resources department to support remote work is proven to be crucial to ensure an inclusive working environment (Chan et al. 2021). The circumstances caused by the pandemic resulted in a growing acceptance of mental health support for employees (Das et al. 2021). This also extends to the general accommodation of the work situation to individual employees, although there can still be uncertainties about how stigmatised it is to talk about and acknowledge mental health problems.

To create conditions for an inclusive workplace, management and human resources departments must be trained in how various disabilities can affect the work situation and well-being (Chan et al. 2021). If managers take the initiative to show commitment to accommodating disabilities in the workplace, a culture of acceptance and accommodation can spread throughout the organisation. Support from management and colleagues in terms of being able to adapt the work situation to individual needs, or offer flexible schedules and remote work, is helpful for all employees and not just to those with disabilities. To assume an inclusive approach enables organisations to take certain measures that benefit all, and without singling out employees with disabilities (Gullekson et al. 2022). The remote working situation can make the work more similar for all employees with and without disabilities. The experiences gained from the COVID-19 situation have made remote work more accepted and less judged (Tang 2021).

Theme: 4 The structure of the workday

The fourth theme addresses the structure of the workday. Working from home allows for a more flexible workday adapted to individual needs (Das et al. 2021). To individuals that have the capacity and the self-discipline to structure their working hours, this is perceived as one of the positive sides of remote work. To others, to self-organise working life is perceived as a burden. To achieve a sustainable remote working life, employers and human resources departments must provide proper support and resources to employees (Adams et al. 2021; Szulc et al. 2021).

There is also a risk that remote workdays are filled with consecutive meetings and few breaks. The transition between these meetings may be challenging, especially for neurodivergent people (Das et al. 2021). Individuals report having experienced ‘Zoom fatigue’, which is a feeling of exhaustion caused by too long a time in front of the computer screen (Adams et al. 2021; Das et al. 2021). Thus, taking breaks during meetings or moving to asynchronous communication is important (Das et al. 2021). In addition, flexible work hours can cause difficulties for employees who have to plan for assistance or have to reschedule interpreters on short notice (Tang 2021).

Not having to deal with the time and hassle of commuting to and from the workplace is perceived as a great benefit (Epstein et al. 2021; Das et al. 2021). Physical exercise and movement must instead actively be planned for during the workday, which otherwise would have come naturally by going to work or moving through the office space during the workday (Adams et al. 2021). As put forward, most people preferred a hybrid work environment working both from home and the office (Das et al. 2021).

The transition towards a post-pandemic working life

The situation that the outbreak of the pandemic put us in, forcing us to rethink how and where work can be performed, has certainly sped up the transition towards more flexible and inclusive working arrangements (Martel et al. 2021; Teklè 2022). Yet, there is little evidence describing what this means in practice and what this implies, both to people with and without disabilities (Jochmaring and York 2023).

The result of the scoping review reveals that there are still few research studies published (from the pandemic outbreak until October 31, 2022) specifically exploring how disabled workers coped with the pandemic situation in relation to their working lives. In the initial database search conducted as part of the scoping review, several thousands of articles appeared. In the end, only eight publications met the inclusion criteria (Table 1) and qualified to be part of the review. The majority of the many studies identified in the initial database search (and then sorted out due to irrelevance, see Figure 1) stated that teleworking settings and more flexible work arrangements could potentially open up the labour market to people with special needs (McNamara and Mason Stanch 2021; Schur et al. 2020). As evident from the review results, very few studies addressed how these potentials could be realised and implemented post-pandemic and the challenges that may emerge in connection to that, both in terms of working practices and strategies, but also in public health decision-making and policy development (Epstein et al. 2021).

Knowledge resources to learn from

Further on, some of the studies referred to in this scoping review present visionary future scenarios and speculate about future working life, but rarely directly engage with and invite people with disabilities to be part of the discussions (Martel et al. 2021). None of the research studies reviewed assumed a participatory research approach and involved their participants in research interventions beyond interviews and surveys. This may be a result of the fact that the researchers followed the recommendations communicated by the authorities saying that distance must be kept to avoid spreading the infection. The knowledge and experiences of people with disabilities are resources for the non-disabled world to learn from (Epstein et al. 2021). Lockdown is normal life for many people with disabilities (Martel et al. 2021). They are used to coping with physical and social isolation, routine disruption, and anxiety, which are experiences that also people without disabilities faced and struggled with during the pandemic.

Disability and intersectionality

Another important insight to highlight is the fact that none of the eight research studies assumed an intersectional approach. This is despite the fact that the disability research community argue for the importance of understanding the intersectionality of the different dimensions of how the COVID-19 pandemic affected people’s participation in society and working life (Cameron and Curran 2022; Thomas et al. 2023). Hall (2020) states that ‘the pandemic is a timely reminder of the (commonly neglected) complex intersectionality of people with disabilities’ (Hall 2020: 350) and that we ought to consider other things that may marginalise people beyond the disability, such as gender, ethnicity, class and geography. Further on, an intersectional perspective is also needed to understand more about the digital inequalities that arose during the pandemic since digital technologies can be ‘wielded as oppressive tools at the same time they provide benefit, or at least, functional or practical returns, and often produce and reproduce social orders that harm some while privileging others’ (Curran 2022: 95). Digital inequalities can either be made visible, be avoided or be improved (Curran 2022).

Themes of accessibility

The thematic analysis of the research studies shows that making remote working life accessible to people with disabilities is not simply a matter of the accessibility functions of the digital tools in use, although that is a requirement. A transition to remote work affects all aspects of life both during and after the normal workday and can be a life-changing experience. Relationships at work, both between colleagues and with managers, and how flexible the pace and structure of the work environment can be, are equally important issues to consider.

Limitations of the study

English was used for the database searches, which means scientific articles published in other languages were not reviewed. Research studies carried out during the period 2020–2022, but yet not published, were not included in the review. ‘Grey literature’, not published in the databases, but relevant, such as knowledge documents, articles and reports published by the national and international disability movement, were also not included.

An important limitation to address concerns the representation in the group of researchers that reviewed the publications that do not include researchers with disabilities, which is a weakness (Burke and Byrne 2020). However, the research project that this scoping review is part of has a reference group consisting of representatives from various disability rights organisations that contribute to strengthening the disability perspective.