Remote work and accessibility

- You and I are living through a transformational time. From the rate of technology adoption to the rise of the digital economy and increased automation across all industries. There's no doubt change is the new norm. People with disabilities are also having to change work practices and a lack of confidence and knowledge amongst employers is leading to some worrying trends. Microsoft research found professionals with disabilities were almost twice as vulnerable to job losses, more than twice as likely to seek reskilling particularly when it comes to roles in the tech sector, low discoverability of accessibility tools was specifically cited in the research contributing to these outcomes. The global requirement to work from home we lived through in 2020, brought a unique opportunity to create a new and better future of work. One that empowers the people who returned to work in an office, those that stay remote and the growing group that will lean into a hybrid model of work. People with disabilities have recognized this. I recall reading a newspaper article that really stuck with me. Paraphrasing, a young woman with a disability remarked. I don't know whether to be delighted that I can suddenly access my university lectures online in an accessible way, or be annoyed that it was possible the whole time. Remote work has put a real focus on accessibility. We've all needed to think about our working patterns. Eight hours a day in meetings on a computer has felt exhausting for many and impossible for some. I personally, have started accessing many more meetings as recordings. I deliberately asked my colleagues in different time zones to record the meeting allowing me to put my kids to bed. I turn on captions almost automatically now as it helps me concentrate. I dock my windows, allowing me to multitask. I have two desktops on the same computer one for the newsfeed for social media, really just one for the distractions. And I have one strictly for focus. I used insights in Microsoft Outlook to put lunch hours for me and to find specific focus time in my calendar. This is my personal remote work prescription. But what about you? I want you to take a moment to think about what remote work has meant for you. What do you find difficult? What in the moment exclusion have you felt? Perhaps you've felt more tired due to increased hours on screen, or maybe you access your email on your phone more than you did in the physical office. In the recent future of work research led by Teams at Microsoft, they found a few items that improve remote productivity such as higher quality cameras for video conferencing, noise canceling microphones and headphones as an accessory, more online tutorials for self-learning and ergonomic designs for employees with standing desks. All of these are just assistive technology solutions. Now, when you think about your remote workflow, could you have benefited by using these tools? I want to leave you with this. The more you understand what accessibility tools and features are available to you, the more you'll not only succeed at your role but you'll want to share to pay it forward and to help others be more successful as well.