Unit II Literature Review
Malkta
Covid19artical.pdf
https://doi.org/10.20965/jdr.2022.p0103
Note:
Impact of COVID-19 on the Employment of and Employment Support for People with Disabilities
Kaede Morimoto∗1,∗2,†, Junko Hoshii∗3, Chito Masuda∗4, Kana Endo∗5, Akiko Sahira∗6,
Kayano Yotsumoto∗2, and Takeshi Hashimoto∗2
∗1Kansai University of Health Sciences
2-11-1 Kumatoricho Wakaba, Sennangun, Osaka 590-0482, Japan †Corresponding author, E-mail: [email protected]
∗2Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hyogo, Japan ∗3Hyogo Prefecture – Hyogo Mental Health Center, Hyogo, Japan
∗4Arima Kougen Clinic, Hyogo, Japan ∗5Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
∗6Heisei Rehabilitation College, Hyogo, Japan
[Received October 15, 2021; accepted December 17, 2021]
The spread of the novel coronavirus infection
(COVID-19) has had a significant impact on the work-
ing population. Companies have been forced to re-
spond to their employees and improve their work en-
vironment. In addition to the impact on able-bodied
people, there has been a significant one on the employ-
ment of people with disabilities. This study reviews the
current employment status of people with disabilities
during COVID-19 and discusses the changes therein
and the role of supporters in light of the changes in
work styles during the pandemic. The results of the re-
view indicate that natural disasters such as infectious
diseases are difficult to predict, and concrete measures
must be taken daily to maintain the safety and security
of people with disabilities. People with schizophrenia
especially need to prepare in normal times, since not
only cognitive functions but also psychological factors
will affect their acquisition of skills. Based on the char-
acteristics of disabilities, it is crucial to support people
with disabilities in normal times for them to act inde-
pendently in times of disaster. Considering that natu-
ral disasters caused by infectious diseases will continue
to occur, we should prepare for remote employment,
training, mental health care counseling, and response
during ordinary times to protect people with disabil-
ities, along with their supporters, assuming that they
may become victims.
Keywords: COVID-19, employment and employment
support, people with disabilities, mental health
1 . Introduction
The spread of the new coronavirus infection
(COVID-19) has had a significant impact on the working
population. As of November 18, 2021, there have been
1,721,500 positive cases of COVID-19 in Japan, with a
total of 18,334 deaths [1]. From April 2020, the Japanese
government declared a state of emergency to prevent the
spread of infection and tighten the medical care delivery
system. In such a scenario, the governor of a prefecture
may request residents to refrain from leaving their
homes for unnecessary reasons; however, there are no
penalties. As a result of the initial declaration of the state
of emergency, the government implemented economic
measures worth 108 trillion yen, while companies were
forced to improve their employees’ work environment by
promoting telework and staggering work hours [2]. This
has had a significant impact on the employment of people
both with and without disabilities. The employment
of people with disabilities is safeguarded through a
national policy that guarantees employment opportunities
for them through various systems, such as the Law for
Employment Promotion of People with Disabilities.
Specifically, the Law for the Promotion of Employment
of the Physically Challenged was enacted in 1960, which
was the first law concerning the employment of people
with disabilities in Japan.
In 1987, the scope of the law was expanded from the
physically disabled to include all people with disabilities,
including those with mental and intellectual disabilities.
In 1998, people with intellectual disabilities were
added to the scope of the law for calculating the statutory
employment rate. Twenty years later, in 2018, people with
mental disabilities were also included in the scope [3].
Through this process, under the principle of realizing a
“symbiotic society” in which everyone can participate in
society through their occupation according to their wishes
and abilities, regardless of the type of disability they have
or do not have, all employers are required to employ peo-
ple with disabilities at a rate higher than the legally man-
dated employment rate [4].
Considering the aggregate figures in the employment
situation for people with disabilities in 2020, the number
Journal of Disaster Research Vol.17 No.1, 2022 103
© Fuji Technology Press Ltd. Creative Commons CC BY-ND: This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of
the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/)
Morimoto, K. et al.
Note: This figure was drawn by the first author based on data published by the Ministry of Health, Labour
and Welfare on June 25, 2021.
Fig. 1. Changes in the numbers of new job applications and job placements.
of people with disabilities who were employed in the pri-
vate sector was 578,292, while the actual employment rate
was 2.15%, both of which were record highs [5].
Furthermore, the number of people with disabilities
who were employed in the public sector was 65,415
(national government, prefectures, municipalities, and
boards of education), while that of those who were
employed by independent administrative agencies was
11,759, higher than in the previous year. The number
of employed people with disabilities and the actual em-
ployment rate have continued to rise during COVID-19
because the employment rate for people with disabilities
was raised from 2.2% to 2.3% in March 2021, in accor-
dance with the Law for Employment Promotion of Peo-
ple with Disabilities. The increase in the number of spe-
cial subsidiaries (subsidiaries that give special considera-
tion to the employment of people with disabilities), whose
employment figures can be included in the actual employ-
ment rate of the parent company, is one of the reasons that
the measures to employ people with disabilities have had
a certain effect on COVID-19 damages.
On the other hand, as an impact of COVID-19 on peo-
ple with disabilities, it has been reported that the num-
ber of new job applications by people with disabilities
was 211,926 in 2020, the first decrease in 21 years since
2001 [6] (Fig. 1). The number of new job applications
refers to the number of job applications received during
the period, while the number of job applications may have
decreased due to the cancellation of job interviews, work-
place tours, and practical training for people with disabil-
ities because of COVID-19 [7]. In addition, the number
of new job applications decreased by 5%, on average, re-
gardless of the type of disability; however, the number
of applications decreased by 11% for people with mental
disabilities, approximately twice as much as the average.
These findings suggest that people with mental disabilities
are more likely to feel anxious in emergency situations,
and that in employment support, it is crucial to have rela-
tionships that reduce the anxiety associated with changes
in the environment, and connections that allow people to
discuss their anxieties and worries.
The COVID-19 natural disaster requires behavioral
changes in people with disabilities and their supporters, as
well as changes in the number of new job applications for
the employment of people with disabilities. In a survey
on employment officers who employed people with dis-
abilities in general companies, 80% of the respondents re-
ported that COVID-19 had changed how employees with
disabilities worked [8]. Medical health and welfare insti-
tutions have begun to introduce home-based employment
support as part of their effort to prevent the spread of the
infection and to prevent designated facilities for employ-
ment support and hospitals from shutting down their oper-
ations. The government and medical institutions have en-
couraged outpatients to return to hospital by phone, while
an increasing number of facilities have introduced a hos-
pital business continuity plan for the first time [9]. Dis-
pensing pharmacies became institutionally capable of de-
livering medicines in the wake of COVID-19. The spread
of COVID-19, which is a disaster, and the accompany-
ing measures such as behavioral restrictions have caused
anxiety about infection and stress associated with behav-
ioral changes in the general public [10], and may have
had a significant impact on the mental health of people
with disabilities. This suggests that mental health care
for workers has become even more crucial. This study
reviews the current employment status of people with dis-
abilities during COVID-19 and discusses the changes in
their employment and the role of supporters in light of the
changes in work styles during the pandemic.
104 Journal of Disaster Research Vol.17 No.1, 2022
Impact of COVID-19 on the Employment of and Employment Support for People with Disabilities
2 . Employment Situation for People with Dis-
abilities During COVID-19
2.1. Current Status of Measures to Support the Em-
ployment of People with Disabilities
Since the Law for Supporting the Independence of Peo-
ple with Disabilities (now the Law for Comprehensive
Support of People with Disabilities) was enacted in 2020
with “employment support” as one of its pillars, employ-
ment support for people with disabilities has been devel-
oped through a system of employment and welfare mea-
sures. Employment policies are based on the employ-
ment rate and benefit systems, while support is provided
by Hello Work (544 locations), regional vocational cen-
ters for people with disabilities (52 locations), and em-
ployment and livelihood support centers for people with
disabilities (332 locations). Regarding welfare measures,
“Support for transition to employment,” “Support for con-
tinuous employment (Type A and Type B),” and “Support
in establishing employment (newly established from April
2018)” are provided as employment-related welfare ser-
vices for people with disabilities [11].
The following is a description of the terminology used
in the facilities mentioned above. In this study, employ-
ment forms, except for working at continuous employ-
ment support offices (Type A and Type B) while receiving
welfare services (“Non-Competitive Employment”), are
defined as general employment (“Competitive Employ-
ment”).
First, we explain the system of “Support for transition
to employment.” The term, “Support for transition to em-
ployment,” means to provide people with disabilities who
wish to work in the general employment and who expect
to work in workplaces that match their aptitudes with the
necessary training for employment through work in the
designated welfare service facilities.
Therefore, the term means helping them find work-
places that match their aptitudes and enabling a smooth
transition to general employment by helping them to es-
tablish themselves in the workplace after employment.
The standard period of use for this system is two years,
which can be renewed for a maximum of one year. Sec-
ond, we explain “Support for continuous employment
Type A and Type B.” “Support for continuous employ-
ment Type A” provides opportunities for people with dis-
abilities who have difficulty in working in general em-
ployment to work on employment contracts, as well as
support for them. “Support for continuous employment
Type B” provides opportunities for employment and pro-
ductive activities for people with disabilities who have
availed themselves of the various forms of employment
support but have not been hired by general employment.
As with “Support for continuous employment Type A,”
there is no limit to the period of use (Table 1). There are
some differences between Type A and Type B. Type A has
an employment contract with the people with disabilities
and is covered by worker’s compensation and unemploy-
ment insurance. In addition it is a facility that provides
a place to work and gain work experience, and is mainly
labor-oriented. On the other hand, Type B is a facility
where there is no employment contract, and where people
with severe symptoms or disabilities mainly study (train)
to regain their daily lives in the community. Therefore,
one of the characteristics of Type B is that users can par-
ticipate immediately after being discharged from hospital
and can use it while receiving medical care (Table 1).
While the employment of people with disabilities has
steadily progressed under these measures, its surround-
ing environment has changed significantly due to the im-
pact of COVID-19, and new needs for employment sup-
port have emerged. Given these changes, the situation
regarding the employment of people with disabilities is
described below, with a focus on the response of employ-
ment support and “Support for continuous employment
Type A and Type B (hereinafter referred to as “employ-
ment services”)” to the changes therein due to COVID-19.
2.2. Employment Situation for People with Disabil-
ities
2.2.1. Status of Support for Job-Hunting Activities at
the Employment Services of the Designated Fa-
cilities
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW)
and PwC Consulting, LLC. conducted a nationwide sur-
vey of employment services of designated facilities on the
status of support for job hunting during COVID-19 [11,
12].
From January to August 2020, the number of persons
transitioning to general employment at employment ser-
vice offices decreased by approximately 10% compared
to the same period in the previous year [11]. Of these, the
numbers in May and June decreased by almost 20–30%
compared to the same period in the previous year. In con-
trast, of the people who completed “Support for transition
to employment,” the number of home-based employees
among those who started working increased significantly,
especially after March 2020, and the rate in each month
of increase was higher than that of the same month in the
previous year [11, 12]. Number of three types of des-
ignated facilities providing people with disabilities with
productive activities at home were shown (Fig. 2).
Regarding the status of support for job-hunting activi-
ties by employment service offices, the number of work-
place training sessions decreased significantly from April
to July 2020. In addition to “support for managing phys-
ical conditions and maintaining motivation,” “online sup-
port for job hunting” and “introduction of contents aimed
at home-based employment” are the typical efforts by ser-
vice offices to support job hunting.
The significant increase in the number of home-based
employees requires a change in how people with disabil-
ities work. Since the spread of COVID-19, the number
of designated facilities that have started providing home-
based services has increased rapidly, while more than
8,000 people nationwide are using home-based services.
The increase in the number of these designated facilities
Journal of Disaster Research Vol.17 No.1, 2022 105
Morimoto, K. et al.
Table 1. Explanation of “Support for transition to employment and Support for continuous employment Type A and Type B.”
Support for transition to em-
ployment
Support for continuous em-
ployment (Type A)
Support for continuous em-
ployment (Type B)
Term of use 2 years in principle Unspecified Unspecified
Purpose of use Acquire the skills necessary for
employment Provide a place to work and get work experience
Facilities that focus on work-
ing and training
Facilities that focus on study
and training
Users People with disabilities or ill-
nesses who wish to work
for general companies (general
employment).
Those who have difficulty finding employment in general
companies (general employment) at this time, those who are
worried about finding employment, and those who need to ad-
just their environment with companies.
Age limit 18–65 years old 18–65 years old Unspecified
Main referral route
for users
Referral from people who sup-
port users, local communities,
primary care physicians, occu-
pational therapists, and men-
tal health workers. Some peo-
ple access directly via official
website.
Referral from people who sup-
port users, for example, pri-
mary care physician, nurse, oc-
cupational therapist, (psychi-
atric) social worker, or clinical
psychologist.
Referral from people who sup-
port users, for example, pri-
mary care physician, nurse, oc-
cupational therapist, (psychi-
atric) social worker, school
teacher, or clinical psycholo-
gist.
Contract of
employment Unspecified Required Unspecified
Law No worker’s compensation,
unemployment insurance, etc.
No paid vacations
Worker’s compensation and
unemployment insurance
available
Paid vacations
No worker’s compensation,
unemployment insurance, etc.
No paid vacations
Work hours 5 days a week / 5 to 8 hours a
day is basic
5 days a week / 5 to 8 hours a
day is basic
Work from 1 day a week /
1 hour a day
Payroll No salary, except for some of-
fices.
Average monthly income: ap-
prox. 70,000 yen
Average monthly income of
about 18,000 yen (wages based
on hours and minutes worked)
Facility usage fees Determined by household income for the previous year
Differences of condi-
tion of users using
each facilities from the
perspective of occu-
pational therapists and
physicians
Use when there is a possibil-
ity that you can manage your
health condition and rhythm of
life and return to work long
hours.
Use when there is a possibility
to manage physical condition
and rhythm of life, and to work
from short working hours to-
ward long working hours. Of-
ten used in combination with
day care.
The first priority is to par-
ticipate in training and study
sessions in order to work as
much as possible while trying
to manage their physical con-
dition and return to life in the
community. Immediately af-
ter discharge from the hospital
or as a mainstay, day care or
home nursing should be used
as a mainstay.
Note: This table was drawn by the first author.
can be attributed to the fact that designated facilities that
started providing home-based services before the spread
of COVID-19 have increased the volume of services pro-
vided, while those that started providing home-based ser-
vices from scratch have joined the list.
In addition, 45% of the users of training and
other home-based services had mental disorders [11, 12]
(Fig. 3). Considering more closely the services provided
at home, about 60% of the designated facilities responded
that there was a shortage of work in terms of orders for
productive activities, indicating the impact of the spread
of COVID-19.
On the other hand, various types of training other than
production activities are provided; among them, support
for interviewing and talking to users, such as “health man-
agement and confirmation of the user’s condition” and
“dialogue and communication with the user” are provided
in approximately 70 to 80% of all employment service of-
fices [11, 12] (Fig. 4). Training on crisis management and
disaster prevention was not provided in the training-at-
home content at any facility in the country.
Regarding the service offices that did not provide
106 Journal of Disaster Research Vol.17 No.1, 2022
Impact of COVID-19 on the Employment of and Employment Support for People with Disabilities
Note: This figure was drawn by the first author based on data published by the Ministry of Health, Labour
and Welfare on October 19, 2020, and by PwC Consulting, LLC. in March 2021. The data of implemented
before the COVID-19 measures about October 2019. The data of implemented after the COVID-19 measures
about October 2020. 1. Survey implementation period (November 25–December 18, 2020). 2. Target of the
survey: designated facilities providing employment support nationwide (requested via local governments;
total number of responding facilities = 5,295). 3. Survey item: productive activity for each month in the
same period in 2020 and 2021. This figure shows the changes in the number of facilities answering the
question, because some of the surveyed facilities did not answer it.
Fig. 2. Number of three types of designated facilities providing people with disabilities with productive activities at home.
Note: This figure was drawn by the first author based on data published by the Ministry of Health, Labour
and Welfare on October 19, 2020, and by PwC Consulting, LLC. in March 2021. 1. Survey implementation
period (November 25–December 18, 2020). 2. Target of the survey: designated facilities providing employ-
ment support nationwide (requested via local governments; total number of responding facilities = 5,295).
3. Survey item: productive activity for each month in the same period in 2020 and 2021. This figure shows
the changes in the number of facilities answering the question, because some of the surveyed facilities did
not it.
Fig. 3. Number of clients who received training at home (n = 8,389).
home-based services, each offered the reasons therefor.
A high proportion of the respondents offered “lack of ICT
environment and know-how to provide training and pro-
duction activities at home” as the explanation. Some re-
spondents offered the same explanation with respect to the
work environment.
It was mentioned earlier that a high proportion of the
offices that provided home-based services conducted in-
terviews with users and provided support by talking to
them; however, more than 70% of all the employment ser-
vice offices stated that they contacted users twice or thrice
a day, while some were always connected [11, 12].
2.2.2. Examples of Diverse Work Styles of People with
Disabilities in Companies and the Status of
Support for Them
In the wake of the spread of COVID-19, companies
gradually shifted to a hybrid work system to ensure the
safety of employees with disabilities and to promote busi-
ness continuity. Employees with underlying medical con-
ditions and a high risk of infection were assigned to work
Journal of Disaster Research Vol.17 No.1, 2022 107
Morimoto, K. et al.
Note: This figure was drawn by the first author based on data published by the Ministry of Health, Labour
and Welfare on October 19, 2020, and by PwC Consulting, LLC. in March 2021. 1. Survey implementation
period (November 25–December 18, 2020). 2. Target of the survey: designated facilities providing employ-
ment support nationwide (requested via local governments; total number of responding facilities = 5,295).
3. Survey item: productive activity for each month in the same period in 2020 and 2021. This figure shows
the changes in the number of facilities answering the question, because some of the surveyed facilities did not
answer it. This figure shows the support provided to people in providing services and conducting productive
activities at home. In all of the employment service offices, support for interviewing and talking to users was
provided in 70 to 80% of the cases.
Fig. 4. Number of the designated facilities by type of service and content of training provided at home (%).
at home. The telecommuters were lent personal comput-
ers by companies and performed their work by connecting
to their companies’ networks from their homes [13].
Similarly, a special subsidiary, Y (Kanto region,
Tokyo), started remote work with a team of mentally
handicapped people with disabilities and instructors.
From the viewpoint of “working as a team,” a remote
morning meeting was held every day, and work was per-
formed with detailed discussions [14].
On the other hand, there were times when an employee
fell ill due to the disruption of their daily rhythm, and they
spent more time on mental health care, including the in-
tervention of support organizations and consultations with
their doctor.
A survey on the work environment of people with
disabilities during COVID-19 was conducted among
persons-in-charge of the employment of people with dis-
abilities in general companies by Z (Kansai Region,
O Prefecture), which conducted surveys on the employ-
ment of people with disabilities. In the survey, about 80%
of the respondents answered that there was a “change”
in the working style of employees with disabilities due
to the impact of COVID-19. Regarding the contents of
support, there were responses such as individualized sup-
port for employees with disabilities, psychological care,
and thorough infection prevention. Thus, many compa-
nies are making various efforts to continue expanding the
employment of people with disabilities [8].
2.2.3. Actual Cases of Employment Support at the
Day Care and Employment Transition Support
Office of a Psychiatric Clinic
As described above, there were some adverse effects
of COVID-19 on companies and employment support fa-
cilities; however, at the day care of the psychiatric clinic
and employment transition support office where the au-
thor works (X prefecture, Kansai region), some day care
users temporarily took time off due to anxiety about in-
fection from the patients and shortened the hours of prac-
tical training. Although some people reduced the num-
ber of days they spent at the day care, it was apparent
that they were accepting the spread of COVID-19. While
the patients were exposed to various information due to
the spread of the infection, we, the medical staff, shared
the goal of “not bringing in or bringing out the infec-
tion and maintaining social distance” with the patients
and practiced the job preparation support. In the voca-
tional preparatory training program that I am in charge
of, I have implemented a method that considers the char-
acteristics of disabilities in terms of working styles. In
the wake of COVID-19, I communicated that the working
styles of healthy people had become more diverse, and
that employers and supporters should provide more men-
tal health care for their workers. Health care providers re-
ported that “people with mental disabilities usually lived
in a socially distant environment, and seemed to have sur-
prisingly accepted a working style that was appropriate
for their disability and distance from other people during
108 Journal of Disaster Research Vol.17 No.1, 2022
Impact of COVID-19 on the Employment of and Employment Support for People with Disabilities
COVID-19.” We received the following report: “I came
to think that the part of my disability that I used to call a
disability was no longer a disability. However, with the
emergence of remote work, they do not have to go to the
office every day and can adjust the balance of commuting
according to their physical strength, which has changed
their view of work. In addition to working, the main-
stay of human relationships used to be social networking
and face-to-face get-togethers; however, it seems that both
healthy and unhealthy people have become more comfort-
able with social distancing.”
3 . Conclusions and Future Prospects
In this study, we reviewed the current employment sta-
tus of people with disabilities during the COVID-19 and
summarized the changes in their employment and the role
of supporters based on the changes in work styles during
COVID-19.
3.1. Prevention and the Improvement of the Mental
Health of People with Disabilities During Nat-
ural Disasters
In the people who completed “Support for transition to
employment” for people with disabilities, the number of
home-based employees among those who started working
increased significantly, especially after March 2020, and
the rate in each month of increase was higher than that of
the same month in the previous year [11, 12]. The work-
ing style of people with disabilities has changed along
with the behavioral change caused by the pandemic. The
changes include not only telecommuting but also home
training and remote participation in meetings. In addi-
tion, changes are also occurring in the work environment
of people with disabilities. For example, a survey of
the work environment of people with disabilities reported
individualized responses to employees with disabilities,
psychological care, thorough infection prevention, health
management, confirmation of conditions, and dialogue
and communication with users at employment transition
support offices. Okuyama et al. suggested that teachers
and school staff who interacted with students daily might
play an important role in the psychological recovery of
students who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder dur-
ing the Great East Japan Earthquake [15].
Similarly, regarding the repercussions of COVID-19, it
is thought that the involvement of staff working together
with medical and welfare supporters around people with
disabilities will lead to recovery in mental health care.
In addition, natural disasters such as infectious diseases
are difficult to predict, and concrete measures must be
taken daily to maintain the safety and security of peo-
ple with disabilities. People with schizophrenia especially
need to prepare in normal times, since for these people,
not only cognitive functions but also psychological fac-
tors will affect the acquisition of skills [16].
The number of home-based services at employment
transition and continuous employment support offices
(Type A and Type B) increased after COVID-19. Al-
though many of the training programs included support
for employment, they did not include measures for deal-
ing with natural disasters or crisis management.
In the future, disaster prevention needs to be promoted
at employment service offices, just as it is done in general
companies. Collaboration is necessary for good practice.
Based on the characteristics of disabilities, it is cru-
cial to support people with disabilities in normal times for
them to act independently in times of disaster.
3.2. Construction of an Online System of Employ-
ment Support
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become easier
for people with disabilities who have difficulty in work-
ing face-to-face to work than before the pandemic. As
both people with and without disabilities no longer resist
social distancing, there is a need to provide support with
a view to further mental health care in terms of home em-
ployment and ICT support in the future. For example, the
author prepared not only employment support but also a
disaster prevention handbook [17], and conducted a disas-
ter prevention workshop [18] for people with disabilities
who had difficulty in choosing disaster information. Peo-
ple with mental disabilities should also be able to obtain
disaster-related information in response to natural disas-
ters, receive remote employment training that can be used
equally by people who do not have access to an appropri-
ate environment, and be able to telework from home [19].
According to Aizawa [7], COVID-19 has led to a rapid
expansion of home-based employment as a work option
for people with disabilities. Consequently, it has become
necessary for employment support facilities to provide
support tailored to home-based employment. In addition,
COVID-19 requires the development of online support
methods in the event that a person cannot visit a facil-
ity, and it is important to develop, accumulate, and share
the necessary training and support skills for employment
in this situation.
COVID-19, an unprecedented natural disaster, will
continue to infect humans, and humans will be expected
to coexist with COVID-19 by preventing infections and
its spread [20]. Consequently, people with and without
disabilities are required to change their behavior, while
the work environment in institutions, hospitals, and com-
panies, both for individuals and for communities, has
changed dramatically. The challenges of finding employ-
ment and the difficulty of working while faced by peo-
ple with disabilities are also felt by able-bodied people,
and new ways of working are emerging. Considering that
natural disasters caused by infectious diseases will con-
tinue to occur, we should prepare for remote employment,
training, mental health care counseling, and response dur-
ing ordinary times to protect people with disabilities, and
even the supporters, assuming that they will become vic-
tims of disasters. COVID-19 has changed how we help
people with disabilities and patients, as approximately
Journal of Disaster Research Vol.17 No.1, 2022 109
Morimoto, K. et al.
40% of people in the US are already seeing a psychiatrist
or doctor through telemedicine [21].
On the premise that this is the case, it is neces-
sary to support the employment of people with disabil-
ities by carefully considering what can be done regard-
ing things that will change (such as how to respond to
COVID-19 and natural disasters that differ from normal
times, lifestyles, ways of spending time, and ways of
working) and those that will not (connections with peo-
ple).
References: [1] Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Visualizing the data:
information on COVID-19 infections,” https://covid19.mhlw.go.jp/ (in Japanese) [accessed September 13, 2021]
[2] Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, “Request for Con- sideration for Employment Maintenance, etc., Related to the COVID-19,” https://www.meti.go.jp/press/2020/04/20200413005/ 20200413005-1.pdf (in Japanese) [accessed September 13, 2021]
[3] Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Current status of employment of people with disabilities, etc.,” https://www. mhlw.go.jp/file/05-Shingikai-11601000-Shokugyouanteikyoku- Soumuka/0000178930.pdf (in Japanese) [accessed September 13, 2021]
[4] Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Legal employment rate of people with disabilities,” https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/ 000694645.pdf (in Japanese) [accessed September 13, 2021]
[5] Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Aggregate rate of employ- ment of people with disabilities in 2020,” https://www.mhlw.go.jp/ content/11704000/000747732.pdf (in Japanese) [accessed Septem- ber 13, 2021]
[6] Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Status of job place- ment for people with disabilities through Hello Work, Number of new job applications,” https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/11704000/ 000797428.pdf (in Japanese) [accessed September 13, 2021]
[7] K. Aizawa, “Employment of people with disabilities and em- ployment support under the spread of the COVID-19 infection,” Japanese J. of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Vol.24, No.2, pp. 163- 165, 2020 (in Japanese).
[8] Mirairo Inc., “Survey of Workplace Environments for People with Disabilities in the Wake of the COVID-19 Epidemic 2020,” https:// mirairo-research.jp/post-663 (in Japanese) [accessed September 13, 2021]
[9] J. Ito et al., “Community mental health care under the COVID-19 pandemic: Report from a mental health clinic with outreach ser- vices and a home-visit nursing station,” Japanese J. of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Vol.24, No.2, pp. 139-145, 2020 (in Japanese).
[10] Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Summary of the re- sults of the survey on mental health related to COVID-19,” https: //www.mhlw.go.jp/content/12200000/gaiyou.pdf (in Japanese) [ac- cessed September 13, 2021]
[11] Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Committee on Per- sons with Disabilities, Social Security Council, 101st Meeting, 2021.10.19, Recent trends in the employment of people with disabilities,” https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/12601000/000683462.pdf?fbclid= IwAR3ZKrFyPpztxoITgWfz6oXVcXBX1TWRy8PGx7e8hg kdxjukCQfyE6QuNM (in Japanese) [accessed September 13, 2021]
[12] PwC Consulting, LLC., “Research and Study on the Actual Con- ditions of Diverse Work Styles and Support for People with Disabilities,” https://www.pwc.com/jp/ja/knowledge/track-record/ assets/pdf/the-diversity-of-disabilities-report.pdf (in Japanese) [ac- cessed September 13, 2021]
[13] A. Nishi et al., “Efforts to realize a “hybrid work system” of work- ing from home and going to work,” The 28th Conf. on Vocational Rehabilitation Research and Practice, pp. 30-31, 2020.
[14] E. Noguchi et al., “The Challenge of Remote Work for People with Disabilities,” The 28th Conf. on Vocational Rehabilitation Research and Practice, pp. 26-27, 2020.
[15] J. Okuyama et al., “Importance of Psychological Support for Disaster-Affected Adolescents: 10 Years After the Great East Japan Earthquake,” J. Disaster Res., Vol.16, No.6, pp. 914-921, doi: 10.20965/jdr.2021.p0914, 2021.
[16] K. Morimoto et al., “Factors Associated with Personal Computer Skills of People with Schizophrenia,” Japanese J. of Psychiatric Re- habilitation, Vol.25, No.2, pp. 49-57, 2021 (in Japanese) .
[17] K. Morimoto et al., “An attempt to develop a disaster preven- tion workshop and a disaster prevention handbook for people with mental and developmental disabilities,” The 27th Annual Meet- ing of Japanese Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, 2019 (in Japanese).
[18] K. Morimoto et al., “Developing a disaster prevention handbook for people with mental illness in Japan, using Karuta (a Japanese Card Game) and Cartoons,” 18th Int. Congress of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists, 2022.
[19] T. Koizumi, “Utilization of ICT and assistive technology for em- ployment support of persons with psychiatric disability,” Japanese J. of Vocational Rehabilitation, Vol.34, No.2, pp. 64-68, 2021 (in Japanese).
[20] N. Nakanishi and Y. Iijima, “The Novel Coronavirus Pandemic and the State of the Epidemic in Kobe, Japan,” J. Disaster Res., Vol.16, No.1, pp. 84-87, doi: 10.20965/jdr.2021.p0084, 2021.
[21] American Psychiatric Association (APA), “New Nationwide Poll Shows an Increased Popularity for Telehealth Services,” https: //www.psychiatry.org/newsroom/news-releases/New-Nationwide- Poll-Shows-an-Increased-Popularity-for-Telehealth-Services [accessed September 13, 2021]
Name: Kaede Morimoto
Affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Occupa-
tional Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kan-
sai University of Health Sciences
Address: 2-11-1 Wakaba, Kumatoricho, Sennan-gun, Osaka 590-0482, Japan
Brief Career: 1989- Manager, Personnel and Education Department, Network Solution
Division, Motorola Japan Inc.
2007- Occupational Therapist, Seno Clinic
2014- Visiting Associate Professor, Occupational Therapy Course,
Program of Health Sciences, Hiroshima University
2016- Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty
of Health Sciences, Kansai University of Health Sciences
Selected Publications: • K. Morimoto et al., “Affecting Factors of Personal Computer Skills of
People with Schizophrenia,” Japanese J. of Psychiatric Rehabilitation,
Vol.25, No.2, pp. 175-183, 2021 (in Japanese).
Academic Societies & Scientific Organizations: • Japanese Society for Disaster Education
• Japanese Association of Occupational Therapists (JAOT)
• Japanese Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation (JAPR)
110 Journal of Disaster Research Vol.17 No.1, 2022
Impact of COVID-19 on the Employment of and Employment Support for People with Disabilities
Name: Junko Hoshii
Affiliation: Occupational Therapist, Hyogo Prefecture –
Hyogo Mental Health Center
Address: 3 Yamadacho Kamitanigamiaza Noborio Kita-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 651-1242,
Japan
Brief Career: 2005- Higashi Kakogawa Hospital
2011- Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe
University
2016- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe University
2017- Hyogo Prefecture – Hyogo Mental Health Center
Selected Publications: • J. Hoshii et al., “Subject-chosen activities in occupational therapy for the
improvement of psychiatric symptoms of inpatients with chronic
schizophrenia: a controlled trial,” Clin Rehabil, Vol.27, No7, pp. 638-645,
2013.
Academic Societies & Scientific Organizations: • Japanese Association of Occupational Therapists (JAOT)
• Japanese Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation (JAPR)
Name: Chito Masuda (Tanaka)
Affiliation: Occupational Therapist, Arima Kougen Clinic
Address: 1-9-32 Nagasuhondori, Amagasaki, Hyogo 660-0803, Japan
Brief Career: 1999- Sawa Hospital
2006- Kobe University Hospital
2012- Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe
University
2015- Arima Kougen Clinic
Selected Publications: • C. Tanaka et al., “Improvement of functional independence of patients
with acute schizophrenia through early occupational therapy: a pilot
quasi-experimental controlled study,” Clinical Rehabilitation, Vol.28,
No.8, pp. 740-747, 2014.
• C. Tanaka et al., “Occupational therapy for a young female with
obsessional slowness:A case study,” Occupational Therapy, Vol.34, No.2,
pp. 189-197, 2015 (in Japanese).
Academic Societies & Scientific Organizations: • Japanese Association of Occupational Therapists (JAOT)
• Japanese Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation (JAPR)
Name: Kana Endo
Affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Integrative
Physiology, Graduate School of Biomedical and
Health Sciences, Hiroshima University
Address: 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan
Brief Career: 2010- Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health
Sciences, Hiroshima University
Selected Publications: • K. Endo, N. Liang, M. Idesako, K. Ishii, and K. Matsukawa,
“Incremental rate of prefrontal oxygenation determines performance speed
during cognitive Stroop test: the effect of ageing,” J. of Physiological
Sciences, Vol.68, No.6, pp. 807-824, Nov. 2018.
Academic Societies & Scientific Organizations: • Japanese Association of Occupational Therapists (JAOT)
• Physiological Society of Japan (PSJ)
Name: Akiko Sahira
Affiliation: Head of Undergraduate Departments, Depart-
ment of Occupational Therapy, Heisei Rehabil-
itation College
Address: 2-26 Tsutonishiguchi-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo 663-8231, Japan
Brief Career: 2007- Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Tokushima University
Hospital
2011- Akashi Kokoro Hospital
2013- Minami Awaji Hospital
Selected Publications: • A. Sahira, S. Yoneda, and Y. Takehisa, “Changes in Shiny Emotions and
Social Skills in the First Year after Enrollment,” J. of Rehabilitation
Education and Research, Vol.26, pp. 256-257, 2020 (in Japanese).
Academic Societies & Scientific Organizations: • Japanese Association of Occupational Therapists (JAOT)
• Japanese Society of Clinical Occupational Therapy (JSCOT)
• Japanese Association for Cognitive Occupational Therapy (JACOT)
Journal of Disaster Research Vol.17 No.1, 2022 111
Morimoto, K. et al.
Name: Kayano Yotsumoto
Affiliation: Associate Professor, Kobe university
Address: 7-10-2 Tomogaoka, Suma-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 654-0142, Japan
Brief Career: 1987- Occupational Therapist in a psychiatric hospital
1997- Assistant Professor, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health
Sciences, Kobe University
2011- Associate Professor, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe
University
Selected Publications: • T. Masuzawa, T. Hashimoto, and K. Yotsumoto, “Subjectively-assessed
cognitive impairment and neurocognition associations in schizophrenia
inpatients,” Schizophrenia Research: Cognition, Vol.27, doi:
10.1016/j.scog.2021.100218, 2022.
Academic Societies & Scientific Organizations: • Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (PRA)
• Japanese Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation (JAPR)
• Japanese Association of Occupational Therapists (JAOT)
Name: Takeshi Hashimoto
Affiliation: Professor, Kobe university
Address: 7-10-2 Tomogaoka, Suma-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 654-0142, Japan
Brief Career: 1984- Psychiatrist
1993- Visiting Researcher, Maryland Psychiatric Research Center
2000- Associate Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe University
2005- Professor, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe University
Selected Publications: • J. Hoshii, K. Yotsumoto, E. Tatsumi, C. Tanaka, T. Mori, and T.
Hashimoto, “Subject-chosen activities in occupational therapy for the
improvement of psychiatric symptoms of inpatients with chronic
schizophrenia: a controlled trial,” Clin Rehabil, Vol.27, No.7, pp. 638-645,
2013.
Academic Societies & Scientific Organizations: • Japanese Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation (JAPR)
• Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology (JSPN)
112 Journal of Disaster Research Vol.17 No.1, 2022
Copyright of Journal of Disaster Research is the property of Fuji Technology Press Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
