According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the General Services Administration , Teleworking involves the following:

* Teleworking allows employees to work part of the time at other than their "official duty station.""

* Teleworking may be on a schedule of from several days per week to as little as one day a month, or on an as-needed basis for reasons such as special projects, illness, or unavailability of your regular office.

* You normally do telework in your home or at a special telework center.

* You are still on official duty when you are teleworking, and are expected to be in a situation where you have the resources necessary to do your job, and are able to concentrate on that job without interruptions from other family members. You normally cannot expect to care for any other family members when you are teleworking. However, teleworking will probably free up time that you would otherwise spend commuting that you can devote to your family.

Some example of teleworking are selling products on the phone, also known as telemarketing, customer service positions, completing telephone surveys, performing data entry or acting as a translator. These are ideal work at home positions for people with disabilities or people with chronic illnesses. These type of jobs allow flexibility with work hours and the ability to remain at home when leaving home can be difficult and time consuming.

There are often necessary accommodations such as a wheelchair accessible desk at home already. The employee does not have to provide the accommodations unless there is a need for them. If needed though there is often Federal aid available. Companies who hire people that are receiving Social Security Disability may also be entitled to tax credits. This can be a win/win situation then for the employer and employee.

There are Federal government teleworking positions available, however most of them are filled by people already working in the government. The IRS though has hired people with disabilities to answer phone calls from people requesting tax forms so it is a good idea to check for work with the Federal Government. During the years that the Census is taken there may be work available too. It can’t hurt to look for work in the Federal, State or local government especially if you are receiving Social Security Disability.

The Telework Coalition is group that provides resources, advocacy and awareness of this type of work. They also provide a database of job openings and are advocates of people with disabilities working at home. Teleworking and Telecommuting by Jeffrey D. Zbar is an excellent book and resource to help you learn more about this type of work.

As always, research any job openings. Never pay to work! Using the resources included in this post will save you regrets. The good news is this is a growing trend. Expect to see more teleworking positions available. There is bound to be one that will be the right fit for you.