> 
>>Computer Technology Opens a World of Work to Disabled People
>>
>>By DAVID S. JOACHIM
>>March 1, 2006
>>
>>For 24 years, Pamela Post, a victim of a panic disorder called
>>agoraphobia, has been afraid to leave her house. She managed to
>>find work for a time, at a company partly owned by a man who
>>also had a panic disorder. He gave her a private office in a
>>house, to make her feel at home and to shield her from the
>>office bustle that could bring on attacks.
>>
>>But three and a half years into the job, even those
>>accommodations were no longer enough. Her husband left her, and
>>her 19-year-old daughter, who drove her to work, married and
>>moved out.
>>
>>"All of a sudden the panic attacks got out of control," Ms.
>>Post said. "I don't drive, so I didn't know what I would do."
>>
>>After a year with no job, she came across Willow, an
>>outsourcing company that was starting a program to train at-
>>home workers to take calls for companies like Teleflora and
>>Palm. Today, she works from home in Deltona, Fla., sets her own
>>working hours and supports herself. And the panic attacks have
>>subsided. "It's been a godsend," she said.
>>
>>Such arrangements are bringing jobs to thousands of people with
>>disabilities, including those with spinal cord injuries and
>>vision loss. Fast computers and broadband connections have
>>become so inexpensive and reliable that location is now not an
>>issue for certain jobs, like customer service.
>>
>>At the same time, an abundance of technology is available to
>>help disabled people operate computers, like software that lets
>>a blind person use a keyboard instead of a mouse to navigate a
>>program, and voice synthesizers that turn text into speech.
>>There are also alternatives to the mouse for people with
>>limited use of their arms.
>>
>>Steven Singley, 41, who is quadriplegic as a result of a car
>>accident 20 years ago, has a special setup that helps him take
>>calls for Office Depot from his home in Centerville, Utah. His
>>right arm, which has limited movement, is strapped to the
>>armrest of his wheelchair, allowing his hand to pivot on a
>>trackball and his pinky knuckle to tap a clicker. A splint with
>>a rubber tip is hooked to his palm so he can type on a keyboard
>>sitting on his lap.
>>
>>"You would think that typing one key at a time would be slow,
>>but I can type 25 words per minute accurately," Mr. Singley
>>said. He puts in 20 to 24 hours a week, requiring extended
>>breaks so his girlfriend can give him his medication and
>>prepare him for his meals.
>>
>>No one has statistics on just how many disabled people work
>>from home as phone agents. But the market research firm IDC
>>says that about 112,000 home agents - both disabled and not -
>>were working for outsourcing firms like Willow, Alpine Access
>>of Golden, Colo., and J. Lodge of Hammonton, N.J., at the end
>>of 2005. That number is expected to climb to 300,000 by 2010.
>>That does not count employees of companies that hire their own
>>home agents. Many new jobs will go to people who are disabled
>>or to people who care for them, several specialists said,
>>because there are more programs to train them.
>>
>>These jobs pay relatively well, from about $10 to $14 an hour
>>to $20 an hour for those who earn a commission when taking
>>orders over the phone. Firms like Willow, based in Miramar,
>>Fla., often treat their agents as independent contractors, with
>>no benefits, but many disabled agents qualify for Medicare.
>>
>>The wages are higher than agents get for similar work in India,
>>where many companies have moved call centers in the last few
>>years, but the costs are still at least 30 percent lower than
>>hiring full-time employees and providing working space for
>>them, said Stephen Loynd, an analyst at IDC. Some executives at
>>outsourcing firms say that the extra expense of hiring American
>>workers is worth it, because many customers complain that
>>offshore agents do not speak English well.
>>
>>"If you want to find a job where nothing counts but brains and
>>voice, this is it," said Gil Gordon, a consultant in Monmouth
>>Junction, N.J., who advises companies on setting up
>>telecommuting programs.
>>
>>At the Internal Revenue Service, about 350 disabled workers in
>>42 states are taking calls this tax season. The I.R.S. and
>>other federal agencies are required to hire people with severe
>>disabilities as part of their compliance with the Americans
>>With Disabilities Act. The agency determined that disabled
>>agents could easily handle its seasonal call center, answering
>>requests for tax forms.
>>
>>The I.R.S. was especially interested in having agents answering
>>calls during peak hours - midday on Mondays and Tuesdays -
>>without having to employ them full time.
>>
>>"In a traditional call site, they work eight hours a day, five
>>days a week," said Anna Howington, a senior policy analyst at
>>the I.R.S. who oversees taxpayer services. Ms. Howington said
>>she was "absolutely happy" with the quality of the agents'
>>work, which costs the agency about $5 million a year.
>>
>>Customer service is not the only job that can be moved into the
>>home. Janet Eckles, 53, of Orlando, Fla., who is blind, works
>>full time for Language Line Services of Monterey, Calif.,
>>taking calls from hospitals and courts that need a Spanish
>>translator. Clients call a central number and are routed to
>>either Ms. Eckles or hundreds of other translators.
>>
>>Ms. Eckles uses a computer to train other Language Line
>>interpreters over the phone. For that, she uses a Windows
>>program called JAWS, for Job Access With Speech. It is
>>customized to let her navigate her computer using a keyboard
>>rather than a mouse, and it reads the output into one ear while
>>she talks to a trainee, like a television anchorwoman taking
>>cues from a producer.
>>
>>"It does take some getting used to," she said.
>>
>>Some call center operators have found that disabled workers
>>stay in their jobs longer and are more loyal than other
>>workers. They also tend to be older and better educated, and
>>they will work for less. "This is an untapped pool of labor
>>that doesn't have many other options," said M. J. Willard, who
>>runs the National Telecommuting Institute in Boston, an
>>advocacy group that trains disabled workers for jobs.
>>
>>About 6.5 million people receive disability benefits from the
>>Social Security Administration, and about a million disabled
>>people are registered with state agencies looking for work. "A
>>lot of those people can work from home," Ms. Willard said. She
>>works with state vocational rehabilitation programs to help
>>them find work. She has about 500 workers in her program and
>>expects to add 50 a year. Because the jobs in Ms. Willard's
>>program are often seasonal, employment may be sporadic for many
>>workers. She also helps employers claim tax benefits and grants
>>for hiring disabled workers.
>>
>>There are limits, though, to the ability to work while drawing
>>disability benefits. Those who qualify for federal disability
>>insurance cannot earn more than $860 a month after completing
>>a nine-month trial period, or they lose disability payments,
>>which average $938 a month.
>>
>>Garth Howard, chief executive of the outsourcing firm Alpine
>>Access, says he moved many customer service jobs overseas as
>>an executive at American Express and TeleTech Holdings. Now,
>>he says, technology is helping him hire disabled workers at
>>competitive wages because he can offer them a measure of
>>convenience that was not available just a few years ago.
>>
>>"I'm excited to be able to bring some jobs back," he said.


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