The more widespread acceptance of working from home is helping millions of Americans with disabilities get back into the workforce and find better job opportunities.

Despite suffering some of the most severe job losses at the beginning of the pandemic, American workers with disabilities are now gaining from the remote work revolution, writes Molly Smith for Bloomberg, a trend that advocates hope will continue into the future as employers reevaluate the need for physical offices.
“The 42.5 million disabled Americans make up 13% of the civilian population, compared with the nearly 19% that is Hispanic and the almost 12% that's African American, according to 2021 Census data released on Sept. 15.” Many considered their working lives over until working from home became a much more mainstream possibility. According to the article, “The tight-as-a-drum labor market gives employers an incentive to maintain the remote-work benefit for disabled employees, which also helps companies diversify their workforces.”
Smith also notes that long Covid, with its serious and long-term complications, may soon fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act, making the numbers for workers with disabilities even higher. Smith also points out that “Just because a disabled person is working doesn’t necessarily mean that the conditions are fair. There’s a nationwide effort to crack down on the labor certificates, allowed under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, that let companies pay people with disabilities a subminimum wage, but many employers still use them.” An increased focus on workers with disabilities could help further such efforts and make working conditions more equitable for all workers.
FULL STORY: Disabled Americans Reap Remote-Work Reward in Record Employment

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Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
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California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
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HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
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