More than a generation after the historic American with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law, disability advocates are still fighting for what they deem is a level playing field in the workplace. According to the American Institute for Research, based on the US Census Bureau’s 2011 American Community Survey, workers with disabilities make 64 cents for every dollar made by their non-disabled colleagues with an equivalent education.
This puts the disabled workers in an interesting dilemma: they have to balance obtaining the best job they possibly can get while ensuring they don’t make enough money to disqualify themselves from federal medical assistance. For example, 31-year-old Josie Badger of Ohio Township, PA, is dependent on a ventilator and around the clock medical assistance. However, this non-profit creator needs to make less than $1,040 a month to keep these benefits.
Badger, the manager of the #iwanttowork campaign, makes a career of turning the policy of the ADA into a reality. #iwanttowork is a national advocacy group aiming to “ensure young adults with disabilities get the employment opportunities they rightfully deserve so they can live full, independent lives.”
