FAIR WAGES FOR DISABLED WORKERS THANKS TO $1.8M GRANT

The San Diego Community College District was awarded a $1.8 million California Department of Vocational Rehabilitation grant focused on training people with disabilities to be competitive among jobs earning at least minimum wage. The three-year grant will allow the District to serve more than 100 disabled people who currently are working in jobs that pay below the minimum wage. The grant is the result of state legislation (SB 639) that requires the State Council on Developmental Disabilities to create a plan detailing how workers with disabilities can be paid at least the state’s minimum wage, along with support and services, by 2025.

Federal labor law has allowed employers to pay people with disabilities less than the minimum wage, with some being paid as low as 15 cents an hour. This has led to continued poverty for disabled people, who have a poverty rate of 18.4% compared to 11% for Cali- fornians who have no disabilities, according to the state legislature.

“I take a great deal of pride that the District will be in the center of resolving this longstanding social problem,” said Poppy Fitch, dean of Wellness and Disability Support Programs and Services for the SDCCD.

The District’s DSPS will work with the disabled services program at San Diego College of Continuing Education to serve participants in the program. The college already offers a vocational skills training program, while the District will provide vocational support services, including vocational counseling, educational coaching, peer men- toring, employment services, and post-employment support.

“I am thrilled to see our state make this significant change for some of the most overlooked individuals in our society,” said Tina M. King, president of the College of Continuing Education. “San Diego College of Continuing Education is ready to work collaboratively with the District to lead this effort in supporting our DSPS students achieve livable wages.”

A similar grant was awarded to the North Orange County Community College District, which, together with the Department of Rehabilitation, will be partners in this effort with the SDCCD.