As a disabled person, I recently worked at one of these sub-minimum training workshops for two years earning approximately six dollars an hour. Fortunately, at least the place offered a wide expanse of tasks and gaining broad experiences can give work seekers more options. Also, fortunately, when Covid started hitting (at the same time I started a different work program) I found I had worked enough hours to be eligible for the Federal weekly $600 benefit, as well as the State of PA for another $170. What a bonanza this became! And I was able to help a couple other folks with this extra money. Sadly though, when I later contacted a few of my former work-training colleagues I discovered that none their managers had helped or advised these workers about how to apply for the same Government Emergency Funds, which could have gone a long way helping to improve some of their lives. It seems there was a philosophy that these disabled folks were already being helped enough -even though their work had shut down from the pandemic for several months. I would have liked to have seen my former disabled but dedicated work colleagues earn this same benefit. Being disabled and / or intellectually lacking in some way shouldn't subtract from equal rights.

As a disabled person, I recently worked at one of these sub-minimum training workshops for two years earning approximately six dollars an hour. Fortunately, at least the place offered a wide expanse of tasks and gaining broad experiences can give work seekers more options. Also, fortunately, when Covid started hitting (at the same time I started a different work program) I found I had worked enough hours to be eligible for the Federal weekly $600 benefit, as well as the State of PA for another $170. What a bonanza this became! And I was able to help a couple other folks with this extra money. Sadly though, when I later contacted a few of my former work-training colleagues I discovered that none their managers had helped or advised these workers about how to apply for the same Government Emergency Funds, which could have gone a long way helping to improve some of their lives. It seems there was a philosophy that these disabled folks were already being helped enough -even though their work had shut down from the pandemic for several months. I would have liked to have seen my former disabled but dedicated work colleagues earn this same benefit. Being disabled and / or intellectually lacking in some way shouldn't subtract from equal rights.

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