The Internet is opening up all kinds of opportunities the disabled to work from home.
I’ve put together a full-list of jobs that are available and companies that are currently hiring, plus resources on how to find a job, and other opportunities that are available.
The disabled make up a large portion of those not in the labor force.
Source: MarketWatch.com
People with disabilities used to have difficulties in finding employment. When they do find companies hiring disabled people, the positions available do not match their work experience, or the job location isn’t accessible.
Fortunately, this isn’t the case anymore.
The internet, globalization and advancement of computers (and smart devices) have made legitimate work from home jobs for disabled possible.
Companies have embraced the fact that even people with disabilities have valuable experiences and skills that could make them the best candidate for a job, despite physical limitations or other medical conditions that make it hard them to perform in traditional work environments.
If you or someone you know is having a hard time looking for legitimate work from home jobs for disabled people, this comprehensive guide will help you build a successful home-based career.
Stop! Are you on SSI or SSDI? We can find a job for you!
My Employment Options (MEO) works directly with job seekers with disabilites to place them into work at home positions, free of charge.
If you’re currently receiving SSI or SSDI benefits, are between the ages of 18 and 64, and you’re ready to return to work, click here at fill out the Work at Home application under Option 1.
MEO will contact you within 48 hours and work with you directly to place you in a legitimate work from home job.
Types of Legitimate Work from home Jobs for Disabled People
When searching work from home jobs, you’ll be faced with several terms like “remote,” “flexible,” “telecommute,” “work at home,” etc. that mostly mean the same thing.
General requirements for working from the comforts of your home include a fully functional computer, high-speed internet and excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
Here are some examples of jobs people with disabilities can do:
- Data entry and transcription – Medical transcription is the most in-demand in this field, so if you have a bit of medical background and is able to type or use a headset, there are unlimited work-at-home transcription jobs for you.
- Writing – You can write as a service for other people, or write to earn passive income for yourself. Either way, writing online is a lucrative business that will never run out of fashion.
- Customer service representative – Whether you are able to provide voice calls, or prefer chat-based or e-mail-based customer support, as long as you love solving problems of other people, you can start finding CSR jobs here.
- Translation – If you can speak or write fluently in another language besides English, there are tons of translation jobs online. But you’ll have an edge over your competition if you have another specialty such as law, medicine, finance, and so on.
- Teaching – You can tutor school kids online, teach English to a person from a non-ESL country, or dedicate your time sharing your knowledge about finance, IT, or other advanced subjects to other students who need your help.
- Any job that can be done from home – If applicable, you can submit a work-at-home proposal to your present boss. There’s a huge chance this will work if you have an irreplaceable skill and that your tasks can be done completely from home.
People with physical challenges could work from home, as long as their abilities to type or voice out their thoughts remain.
Modern gadgets developed to help people with vision loss and hearing loss also allow them to perform day-to-day computer tasks.
However, people with intellectual challenges (brain injuries, memory loss, etc.) may find online businesses a better alternative for earning income. I’ll talk about more of this later.
If you’re interested in trying out every online job first, before you commit to full-time, I recommend checking out our list of 100 Ways to Earn Side Cash Online.
17 Companies Hiring Disabled People
If you wish to explore what kinds of legitimate work from home jobs for disabled people some well-known companies are offering, here are some real examples:
1. Salesforce
Finance, engineering, sales and management positions available. Jobs come with medical benefits and 26 weeks of paid parental leave.
Click “US remote” filter under location options to see available jobs.
2. Amazon
The world’s biggest ecommerce platform has a continuous need for customer service representatives (pays $10/hour), but also opens managerial positions.
All employees have medical benefits, insurance, and other benefits.
3. American Express
Named one of the top 20 companies for remote jobs, the positions American Express offer mostly cover Customer Service, Travel and Lifestyle, Sales, Human Resources and more.
Paid time off, benefits and other perks make working for American Express an attractive option.
4. Aetna
While the company has over 40 offices across US, about 40% of its employees telecommute.
Minimum wage here starts at $16/hour with enhanced medical benefits and health insurance.
5. Enterprise Holdings
The company has around 100 customer service work-from-home jobs available at any time. While this job only pays $12.85/hour, CSRs here are paid bonuses based on both individual and team performance, which can get over $600/month in bonuses.
6. Humana
Named DiversityInc’s 2015 Top 25 Noteworthy Company, this insurance company is known for hiring veterans with disabilities.
There are positions in sales, customer care and financial services – all of which pay with health benefits, paid overtime and other bonuses.
7. GitHub
Almost all job categories at GitHub offers a work-from-home position.
Be sure to check all the openings since over half of “Hubbers” work remotely across 18 countries.
Pay and benefits vary by country.
8. Apple
Apple’s At-Home Advisers, Team managers, and area managers give Apple fans a chance to serve their favorite brand by providing customer support.
In return, both part-time and full-time employees are paid competitive salaries, benefits package, and product discounts.
Apple prides itself on inclusion and “explores new ways to support employees with disabilities.”
9. Mozilla
Those with programming and tech-related careers, this company offers remote positions around the world.
Aside from competitive pay, top-notch medical benefits, Mozilla also shoulders conference and travel budgets, your copy of the latest Mozilla software/hardware, and tons of learning opportunities.
10. Kaplan
Kaplan’s education-focused company opens up to work-from-home employees across its international branches.
Positions are varied, from writing to sales, but most offer flexible schedules, paid time off, and competitive compensation.
11. Hilton
You can find virtual or remote positions by sifting through over a dozen of Hilton’s brand of hotels, inn, or resorts.
Many part-time positions can be performed completely from home, but full-time positions may involve a bit of travel.
12. Nielsen
This global, data-collection company has a continuous need for remote employees in a wide range of professions from IT to sales, research to engineering, and so on.
All employees receive health care, long-term/short-term disability coverage, dependent life insurance, and employee assistance program.
13. Allegis Transcription
If you’re looking for a reliable transcription job, go for Allegis.
It welcomes beginner transcriptionists from anywhere in the US and has jobs available 24/7. The work-from-home transcriptionists are free to choose which files to work on.
14. Xerox
Not only does this renowned company employs over 8,000 remote employees, Xerox also hires veterans as part of its Heroes@Home program.
Enjoy health care, paid holidays, life insurance, retirement plans, employee assistance programs and other benefits when you land a job as a virtual customer care rep, tech support, programmer, QA, or other positions.
15. United Healthcare
Health insurance company United Healthcare has a history of partnering up with government and other non-profit organizations in launching programs like Lifeworks and Welfare to Work.
Both of these programs aim to support people with disabilities by prioritizing them for various job openings.
16. Capital One
Capital One offers a number of remote based positions although most of them require that you live within 100 miles of one of their main hubs.
I found a lot of customer support positions that start out at $16/hour and include full benefits, paid time off, family support and 401k plans.
17. CVS
At the time of this posting, there was a list of remote job options that was as long as one CVS receipt.
Consultant, sales, customer support, and administrative assistant were all included in the full list of open jobs.
Work-from-Home Resources for the Disabled
- My Employment Options – Provides free assistance to individuals receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits in the U.S.
- National Telecommuting Institute– The NTI is a non-profit org that has been helping disabled Americans find work-at-home jobs since 1995. NTI has two job resources – NTI at Home and Land-a-Job, both of which provide extensive guides about Social Security insurance and rehab services with a job database of active open positions across the country.
- Cancer and Careers – Anyone diagnosed with cancer who needs career advice, tools and tips about working online even with cancer
- Project Starfish – Helps blind individuals begin a career in virtual assistance, social media, marketing, sales, and so on.
- LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired – US-based org with local chapters that help blind individuals find work-from-home jobs
- CareerConnect – This program from the American Federation of the Blind helps people with a former vision-dependent career learn how to restart their profession after vision loss.
- National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Receive work-from-home employment advice from other people with limited mobility
- Communication Services for the Deaf– This deaf-owned company has updated remote job listing. You’ll need to know Sign Language to apply to any jobs here.
Passive Income from an Online Business
If the jobs available online do not interest you, maybe starting an online business will.
The best thing about most online businesses is that they can be operated 100% from home. You have several options if you wish to go this route:
- Blogging – As long as you love writing and you have something to share, there’s future in blogging. Check out these 10 ways to turn a blog into a full-pledged online business.
- Affiliate marketing – You don’t need to stock and organize an inventory of products in your home. Today, you can promote other people’s products and receive a commission every time someone you referred to a store completes a sale. This process is called affiliate marketing.
- ecommerce – If an online store is something you’re interested in, check out these in-demand ecommerce ideas to try this year.
- Teaching – As a teacher, you can write a book, sell your knowledge (via podcast, eBook, one-on-one consultation, and so on). You can also blog about everything you know.
Here are 25 more passive income ideas that generate money while you sleep.
Be aware that blind individuals can launch and operate their own home-based businesses with the help of Business Enterprise Program through their state’s vocational rehabilitation center.
The Future of Online Jobs
Even a hobby, such as blogging about toys or favorite TV shows, can become a lucrative online business if done right.
Note that there are plenty of scams online, so be wary about red flags like paying to access a list of jobs, or providing sensitive information before sending a job application.
Now that you know that legitimate work from home jobs for disabled people exist, it’s completely understandable if you’re worried if this method of earning will last.
Fortunately, the general outlook of work-from-home employment remains bright. Of course, some specializations (such as mobile app developer, SEO specialist, writer, etc.) are more in-demand than other professions.
If you have chronic illness or disability and wanted to continue supporting your family financially, I hope this guide help launch your work-at-home journey.
I am disabled. Can’t work at a job due to degenerative arthritis on my spine and is getting worse. Is there a work from home job that I can do that does not require any up front fees or being on the phone? My husband is the only one working right now. I have no experience.
I’m disabled with the degenerate disease called fredrichs ataxia I am looking for a job but I am home bound also due to my disability I have a speech impairment is there any hope for someone like me
Hey. You are doing a great job. You are enlightening thousands of disabled people by sharing these kind of stuffs. It will not only inspire them but this is a sure shot method to earn for themselves. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. Appreciated
Hi, you not only providing great information but also helping lot of unemployed disabled people out there. Keep up the nice work!
Thanks Anamika! Glad to help :)
Hey there Steve,
I was intrigued to get some good money making opportunities for a few friends of mine who are visually disabled after they told me how hard it is for them to survive.
I will show them this post. I know they are going to love it, especially the home based opportunities section. On behalf of them, I say a big thank you.
Sure thing Dave! Thanks for spreading the word!
This is a very informative article on ways to earn a decent amount of income. I am one of those who have some limitations in the workforce. It has really made a steady income hard to accomplish. Your article has helped me gather some new ideas to resolve my financial dilemmas. Thanks you for providing many ways to approach these work limiting challenges and become financially stable.
You’re very welcome Ruth! Wishing you all the best.