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The practice of paying disabled people below the minimum wage is still legal in 2023, and now It is time for that to change.
The fact that it is legal to dehumanize and discriminate against people with disabilities this way in 2023 is ridiculous! We are America, we are supposed to be the country everyone looks to as an example but Europe treats its disabled population ten times better than we do. Why is it that just because someone is disabled whether physically, intellectually, or otherwise, it is okay to "throw them a bone"? Does that make society feel all that great? I'm pretty sure Lady Liberty is crying in New York Harbor and Uncle Sam is disgusted. However, because disabled people have been marginalized in America for far too long and I'm afraid that without a disability revolution, this may never change. It is time for us to stop being good little boys and girls and sitting quietly in our chairs and looking good for the photos and live up to the disability motto “nothing about us without us” because no one will ever give us a seat at the front of “society’s bus” unless we take it.
Below is a call to action put out by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). As part of an effort to end this abysmal practice please visit AAPD.com and sign the petition to do your part to allow America to truly come into the 21st century.
ACT NOW: End Subminimum Wages for Disabled Workers!
Support Ending the Practice of Paying Disabled Americans Subminimum Wages
Many disabled workers are being paid far below minimum wage, and it’s completely legal. These policies are based on the idea that disabled people are inherently less productive, and their work is less valuable. This is undeniably false. Disabled workers deserve a fair wage, and we need your help to put an end to the practice of paying disabled workers subminimum wages. This discriminatory practice cannot continue.
Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act allows employers to pay disabled American workers subminimum wages. Section 14(c) leaves room for employers to engage in discriminatory practices which include segregating disabled employees, cutting them off from community settings, and limiting their ability to receive opportunities for career advancement or development.
Research from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights shows that between 2017 and 2018, the average wage of a person with a disability working under a 14(c) certificate was $3.34 per hour, less than half of the federal minimum wage. Many disabled workers made even less.
The time to act is NOW. The Department of Labor recently announced they will begin a comprehensive review of Section 14(c) to determine the future viability of the program.
Disabled people deserve dignity, and they deserve equal pay. I urge President Biden and Acting Secretary of Labor, Julie Su, to end the practice of paying disabled workers subminimum wages.
This is not the only way you can make a difference. AAPD is also holding a virtual meeting with lawmakers in Washington DC on November 15, 2023, from 5:30 PM Eastern until 7 PM Eastern. I urge you to attend this meeting if her schedule allows you to. We may not all be affected directly by this issue, but if you are connected to the disability community at all chances are you know someone who has been. Take this wonderful opportunity to not only navigate on behalf of the person you know by telling their story, but who knows one story may change things for all disabled people in the United States.
You can register for the next meeting, which will be held on November 15, 2023, from 5:30 PM Eastern until 7 PM Eastern. Registration is now open and will close on November 10, 2023 to registration link can be found on the US Department of Labor’s website: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/14cEngagement
at the bottom of the page, you will see a button that says “registration link,” which is written in fairly small print, which may require those with visual challenges to magnify the webpage. For those who have additional access issues, I have included the AAPD accessibility support email below.
Accessibility support email: jdavidson@aapd.com all requests for accommodations based on disability must be submitted by November 6, 2023
