There are many benefits to having a fulfilling job – and when we have the supports we need, disabled people can succeed at jobs that pay well and bolster our self-confidence. There are policies in place to help disabled people find and keep good jobs, like Employment First. But there are also policies that have kept us stuck in low-paying jobs away from our communities.
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It’s important for self-advocates to understand employment policy and how things could be different—so that we can effectively advocate for an end to policies that hurt us, and for the adoption of policies that help us. That’s why we’re pleased to announce our latest plain language toolkit, Real Work For Real Pay: A Self-Advocate’s Guide to Employment Policy.
This toolkit explains:
- *What Employment First is
- *What sheltered workshops are
- *What the minimum wage is
- *The law that lets some companies pay disabled workers less than minimum wage
- *How we can solve problems disabled people have with employment
- *What work requirements are, and why they are a bad idea for people with disabilities
The Employment toolkit is available in two versions: an Easy Read Edition and a Plain-Text Version. Both versions are written in easy-to-understand language and are screenreader-friendly.