The Biden administration is proposing changes to competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities. This comes as President Joe Biden continues to honour his commitment to making employment for workers with disabilities more fair and equitable.
Currently, employers can access a loop hole that allowed them to pay their employees with disabilities sub minimum wages.
Under this new proposal, people with disabilities would have to earn at least minimum wage.
Also, the Biden government wants to improve competitive integrated employment opportunities by ensuring people with disabilities work in a setting where they interact with people without disabilities.
These conditions must be met in order for work to qualify as competitive integrated employment.
Self-employment and telework alternatives can meet these qualifications as well.
Additionally, workers with disabilities must be given comparable chances for development as workers without disabilities who hold comparable positions.
The US Division of Training developed these proposed changes after three years worth of consultation with stakeholders.
The proposal does acknowledge that people with disabilities are not required to take part in competitive integrated employment and can select to work in different settings.
“We encourage state VR [Vocational Rehabilitation] businesses to proceed to work with employers and different group companions to create employment alternatives that meet all standards within the definition of ‘aggressive built-in employment,’ [also known as competitive integrated employment] together with the criterion for an built-in employment location,” the proposal stated.
“However, we acknowledge some VR program individuals, represented by relations or others as acceptable, could select to pursue work that doesn’t meet the definition of ‘aggressive built-in employment,’ comparable to these work alternatives that pay subminimum wage or are usually not built-in in a way per the definition.”
The US Division of Training is accepting feedback on the proposal until April 8.
