Toward a More Inclusive Gig Economy: Risks and Opportunities for Workers with Disabilities

Video

DOI

Little is known about whether and how workers with disabilities participate in the many on-demand labor platforms that make up the growing gig economy, yet, this understanding is a vital step towards developing a more inclusive gig economy. Through interviews with 24 workers and observational fieldwork, we present a rich, in-depth picture of the opportunities and challenges presented by four main types of gig work (ridesharing, delivery, crowdwork, and freelancing) for workers with a wide range of disabilities. We identify a key tension: gig work can be a vital source of needed income for workers who have been excluded from traditional workplaces, but at the same time, the structure of gig platforms present workers with a host of new disability-related challenges, including around algorithmic control and performance evaluation. We discuss how this tension plays out in terms of how workers engage in gig work and protect themselves from risk. We also call attention to how many workers can face complicated, intersectional challenges based on multiple, marginalized identities in addition to disability, such as race, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. Our work contributes to research on the gig economy by centering the perspectives of workers who are marginalized based on disability and other identities. We show how workers face several penalties based on disability, including shouldering extensive invisible labor to mitigate the challenges they face. To address these issues, we represent workers' voices in the design suggestions we put forth around how labor platforms could be more inclusive and equitable for workers with a range of disabilities.