On his first day back in office last month, President Donald Trump ordered federal employees to return to their offices, joining the likes of Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and Dell among private sector companies seeking to cut back or end the work-from-home trend.

In a Jan. 20 executive order, Trump ordered executive branch agencies to “take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis," though department heads were allowed to make "exemptions they deem necessary.”

In New Jersey, the trend has caused concerns among one of the groups that benefited the most from telecommuting: workers with disabilities, who saw their employment rates spike in recent years.

Some fear the new atmosphere could undermine recent gains.

During the COVID pandemic, remote employment proved a lifesaver for many as computer screens gave them the chance to carry on. For people with disabilities, the accommodation was more than just a convenience. As businesses adapted to new ways of working, obstacles were removed for employees who had previously found their options limited.

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Research by Rutgers University highlighted how transformative the virtual office was. The employment rate for people with disabilities went up faster than the employment rate for those without, according to Rutgers' Douglas Kruse and Lisa Schur, the husband-and-wife team who co-directs the school's Program for Disability Research.

Employees with disabilities made big gains

As of January 2020, 5.7 million Americans with disabilities were employed, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number jumped to 7.6 by the fall of 2023, a 33% increase. It currently sits at 7.9 million.

“With people with disabilities, working at home is a really big factor," said Kruse, a professor of labor studies and human resources management. The demographic "definitely outpaced the employment increase for people without disabilities.”

Returning to the office offers advantages as well, the Forbes Human Resources Council wrote in a December review, "18 Overlooked Benefits of Returning to the Office for Work."

In-person work fosters mentorships and enhances mental well-being through social interactions, the council said. Corporate culture is improved through face-to-face connections and discussions. And office settings can also improve visibility, helping career advancement, particularly for marginalized groups, according to the article. Working face to face also creates more effective communication.

But that's not the case for all workers, said disability advocates.

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Hackensack’s Arlene Romoff, co-founder of the Hearing Loss Association of America’s New Jersey branch, said telecommuting platforms like Zoom have been a boon for people like her.

"With the advent of Zoom and other remote meeting platforms, it became apparent that technology greatly benefited people with hearing loss,” she said.

Attendees of a Zoom call face front, close to the screen. That’s ideal for lip-reading, Romoff said. Additionally, improvements in automated captioning have provided a level of inclusion that was not available during in-person settings.

His commute 'was the worst'

Edison’s Javier Robles is a Rutgers University professor whose paraplegia necessitates the use of a wheelchair. He remembers how hard it was in his previous job with the state's Department of Human Services, where he was expected to be in the office every day.

His daily commute to Trenton was especially strenuous, taking about an hour and a half each way. The journey was complicated. Each day he and his service dog, Tess, would get into his van. Driving for extended periods was physically difficult for Robles, who said he ended most commutes with sore shoulders. They were already stressed by overuse from life in a wheelchair, he said.

"It was the winter that was the worst,” he said. “Driving my van in the snow was not fun."

In contrast, working at Rutgers, where he teaches in the Department of Kinesiology and Health, has been more manageable thanks to the ability to telecommute. Robles works from home a few days a week, whenever he’s not teaching. That significantly reduces his physical and logistical challenges.

The flexibility is crucial for him, since the "wear and tear" on his shoulders eventually made it impossible to drive, he said. Robles now needs a driver to travel, and someone isn't always available.

Disability rights protected by NJ law

The state offers legal protection through the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, which safeguards against workplace bias, including for remote workers. But employees may have to make the case for themselves, advocates said.

Adam Kubler, employment services coordinator for the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities, emphasized the importance of seeing remote work as an accommodation, one that's already in place.

"Employers were forced to set up work from home infrastructure due to COVID-19. It already exists, it usually isn’t unreasonable to utilize that existing infrastructure as an accommodation for someone living with a disability," Kubler said.

“Employers generally want to do what they can to retain good, productive employees and will be more amicable to make reasonable accommodations," Kubler said. "Management is very often concerned about productivity, professionalism and efficiency."

Workers, he said, should consider how their accommodation will increase productivity and ensure the efficient use of time. "It might make sense to flatly ask your employer what concerns them about working from home and explain what you can do to lessen those concerns,” Kubler said.

As New Jersey and the rest of the country navigates these changes, the experiences and needs of workers with disabilities must be a central consideration in discussions going forward, said Schur, the Rutgers professor. The potential rollback of remote work flexibility underscores the need for policies that support the diverse needs of the workforce, she said.