By Sara Nye
I am 21 years old and live in Central Pennsylvania with my parents and my cat, Thora. I have Down Syndrome.
I work as a social media coordinator for the United Cerebral Palsy/Employment First Coalition and a family adviser for the Vision for Equality/PA Family Network, and I find both jobs fulfilling.
I like working. I like having plans for my day. It makes me proud, motivated, and I feel good about myself. I have opportunities to learn new skills, which in turn builds my confidence.
I love meeting new people. Both of my jobs offer me opportunities to meet new people, build relationships with them, and feel connected to a community. I am paid competitively at these jobs, which means I work with people with and without disabilities while making at least the minimum wage. Working with people with and without disabilities, we learn from each other.
I have learned many skills from my co-workers, and they have learned from me. One example is that I use AI writing assistance to improve my writing. When I told my coworkers about the apps I’d been using, they began to use AI as well.
While I work and receive a fair wage, others do not. My cousin with a disability had a job where she was paid below minimum wage. Sometimes she received only $10.00 for 2 weeks of work, which is not fair!
Subminimum Wage certificates, set up by Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, allow employers to pay certain workers, including those with disabilities, less than the federal minimum wage. In Pennsylvania, thousands of individuals with disabilities are paid subminimum wages.
A lot of these employment sites have people with disabilities working only with others with disabilities, so they are segregated. I feel integrated settings are important because I have developed practical skills for independent living. The integrated environment of my jobs gives me access to a variety of resources, such as recreational, educational, and vocational opportunities that are typically unavailable in segregated environments.
My companies offer workshops, webinars, social gatherings, and other professional development programs, and I receive coaching from a non-disabled peer mentor.
Congress must take action to pass the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act, because it will mean people with disabilities will no longer be paid a sub-minimum wage, and they will work with peers with and without disabilities, just like me!
My future goal is to have my own place. I am sure most people feel the same way. How can somebody receiving a sub-minimum wage have visions of living independently when their income is so low?
Passing The Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act will end subminimum wage and give the disability community the opportunity to end the misconceptions we face in the employment field, pursue our goals, achieve independence and help end the misconceptions we face in the employment field.
I hope you can stand alongside me and other disability advocates in urging Congress to take action.