NEWS: Court Awards Back Pay to Ohioans with Disabilities Paid Lower Wages

January 18, 2024

Hannah News Service: A federal judge this month affirmed a 2016 federal administrative finding that three Ohioans with disabilities should get back pay and damages to make up for the subminimum wage they were paid in a sheltered workshop. The court ruling and the underlying federal administrative ruling set a new, higher standards for employers to meet in order to justify paying less than full wages to people with disabilities, according to Disability Rights Ohio (DRO). Meanwhile, state data show far fewer Ohioans with disabilities working in subminimum wage positions today versus several years ago, following the state’s adoption of the Employment First policy. And a new grant-funded program now in the pilot stages aims to get more than 1,400 additional Ohioans with disabilities into full-wage jobs.

Read more: Hannah News Ohio