A decades-old law that allows employers to pay workers with a disability under minimum wage is still on the books in several states. Members of Congress want to change that
Sophie Tatum
Politics Reporter
When Bill Stumpf enrolled his son in preschool, school officials said that he should be in a classroom with other children who had disabilities. But Stumpf wanted Kyle, who has Down syndrome, to be learning alongside his community — peers without a disability.
“He doesn’t need to live in a bubble,” Stumpf recalled thinking at the time.
But the older Kyle got, the less Kyle was included. Kyle eventually graduated high school and entered a work environment where he was mostly surrounded by other individuals with disabilities making less than minimum wage. Stumpf said although Kyle seemed happy, and it was a safe environment for him, it never led to the “next step” of getting him out and working in the community. They were stuck.
But one summer, Kyle worked alongside his older sister at a bar and grill where they would let him do odd jobs, like putting away stock and cleaning tables. From there, one of the cooks at the restaurant offered Kyle a job at the restaurant he was going to manage: Papa Johns.
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Now, Kyle — who just celebrated his 33rd birthday — works at the pizza restaurant for more than minimum wage, Stumpf said, a job he’s held since 2014.
“Kyle would go to work if there was 2 feet of snow on the ground,” Stumpf said, adding, “not a lot of people have...
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