Oct. 22, 2022 | Vince Lara-Cinisomo
David Strauser and John Kosciulek received funding to help workers with disabilities transition out of subminimum wage jobs.
The idea of a subminimum wage—enacted in 1938 as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act—was originally intended to serve as a transition for the large number of soldiers with disabilities returning from war. However, that classification has become permanent for many workers with disabilities.
The U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration Disability Innovation Fund is seeking to improve access to better-paying jobs for individuals with disabilities, and a project from two Illinois faculty members was among those recently funded.
David Strauser and John Kosciulek, both professors in the Dept. of Kinesiology and Community Health within the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois, received funding for their project, “From Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrated Employment for Illinoisans with Disabilities: An Innovative & Collaborative Project Partnership (SWTCIE Illinois).”
According to the Strauser and Kosciulek, SWTCIE Illinois will increase opportunities for Illinoisans with disabilities to transition from subminimum wage employment to competitive integrated employment (CIE) and redirect to CIE those individuals contemplating subminimum wage employment for the first time.
The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education—Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) through the Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services in the amount of $13,943,946 for five years from October 2022 to September 2027.
Competitive integrated employment ensures that workers are compensated at or above the minimum wage, and allows both workers with and without disabilities to receive the same benefits and wages for performing the same duties, as well as being given the same opportunities for advancement.
The KCH professors said their first step will be to work with the Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Service and 14(c) organizations in Illinois to develop a new vocational rehabilitation service model that enables individuals with disabilities to transition from sub-minimum wage jobs to CIE. A 14(c) organization is one that has obtained federal government authorization to pay subminimum wages to workers with disabilities that impair their productivity in the work they perform.
The project’s main goals are to expand opportunities for Illinoisans with disabilities to obtain high-quality CIE that leads to economic security and assist and encourage employers in Illinois to fully include individuals with disabilities in their workforce.
Meanwhile, 14(c) organizations will benefit from their involvement in SWTCIE Illinois because they will be provided resources, training, and special expertise to help the organization assist individuals with disabilities to transition from sub-minimum wage jobs to CIE.
About these grants, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said, “President Biden always says that a good-paying job is about more than a paycheck, it’s about dignity, and that’s why we can no longer accept a status quo in which so many individuals with disabilities are segregated from the workforce and relegated into poverty-wage jobs that offer no pathway to higher earnings. These grants will support innovative efforts underway across the country to provide educational opportunities to youth and adults with disabilities so they can secure better-paying jobs, build economic security, and lead more fulfilling, independent lives.”
Editor’s note:
To reach Vince Lara-Cinisomo, email vinlara@illinois.edu.
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