For 15 years, Norfolk resident John Jarrell worked for a Goodwill store in Virginia Beach.

Jarrell, who has Asperger’s syndrome, said he was good at his job. Working under the nonprofit’s Enclave retail group program for people with disabilities, Jarrell inspected donated items like clothing and made sure they were in good enough shape to sell at the retail store. Jarrell was speedy, sorting clothing racks faster than many of his co-workers.

Then, the pandemic and all of its ripple effects began hitting the region. As business conditions worsened for Goodwill, nonprofit leaders suspended the Enclave program at Jarrell’s location and laid him off on Jan. 19.

Since then, Jarrell has struggled to find employment that can accommodate his disability, a form of autism, and other constraints like working part-time and using public transportation. He said he’s getting behind on his power bill, too.

“It’s been a chore with me,” Jarrell said. “It’s been a chore, even now.”

The pandemic has created an additional layer of problems and challenges for Hampton Roads workers with disabilities, putting more pressure on an already marginalized group, according to workers and disability advocates.

Like a lot of the workforce, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities in the U.S. drastically increased in 2020 following the outbreak of the pandemic, climbing to 18.9% in April 2020 compared with 8.3% in March 2020, according to federal data. Since then, the rate has fallen back to 8.2% in June. But the unemployment rate doesn’t tell the whole employment story, since only some people with disabilities are actively looking for work. In 2021, just 19.1% of people with disabilities were employed, compared with 63.7% of workers without a disability, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Disability is a continuum, and different people can have wildly different needs, explained Paul Atkinson, CEO and president of Eggleston. For instance, the regional nonprofit, which serves around 1,000 people a year, might help one person get a job at an outside employer while another person may need more support in a group home setting, he said.

Eggleston also employs workers in federal contract programs, like laundry services for nearly every branch of the military.

When COVID-19 arrived, Eggleston began to implement masking and social distancing, like many other businesses. This was challenging for many workers with autism and intellectual disabilities, Atkinson said, because many use hugging and physical contact to communicate. Other challenges he noticed included masks that muffle voices and difficulty maintaining 6 feet of distance.

Other folks, especially those with other health conditions like diabetes or heart conditions, could not risk working and had to stay home.

“It put stress on us needing to find enough workers,” Atkinson said.

For Jarrell, several factors limit the jobs he can perform. He doesn’t drive, so a job must be able to accommodate him using the bus system to get to and from work. He also needs time on Tuesdays to receive infusion therapy for asthma. Disability benefit rules also stipulate that he cannot earn more than $1,350 a month.

Goodwill of Central and Coastal Virginia closed nearly 60 locations, including stores, donation centers and other job sites, and furloughed nearly two out of every three employees during the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020, a spokesperson said in an email. The nonprofit organization moved forward with layoffs for some Enclave employees in January “so our community partners that help find employment opportunities for these individuals were able to do so.” With COVID-19 still spreading around the region, health and safety concerns about the close nature of the Enclave work and potentially immunocompromised workers also factored into the layoff decision, the organization said.

As vaccine shots got in arms and the country reopened, the challenges changed for workers and employers, said Kasia Grzelkowski, president and CEO of VersAbility Resources, another Hampton Roads nonprofit that helps workers with disabilities get jobs.

Now, with nationwide staff shortages, businesses everywhere are searching for talent. The challenge is getting people with disabilities trained, mobilized and hired, Grzelkowski said.

“That’s a positive shift,” she said.

Eggleston is also trying to attract more job candidates and former workers, Atkinson said. Some people are reluctant to return yet, while others have found remote work positions.

“We’re hopeful that things will get back to whatever the new normal is,” he said.

Jarrell’s job search is progressing, too. A friend is helping him write his resume, and he recently had his first interview with another Goodwill location.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com