6/16/26 - Subminimum wage, eligibility tests, and a bit of satire

Good afternoon!

What's happening in your lives this week? What's happening for people with disabilities? Here are your three disability-related links for this Tuesday ...

Workers with disabilities deserve better than subminimum wages

Michelle Yin, The Hill / Washington Post - June 12, 2026

"A bipartisan bill to end subminimum wages for workers with disabilities is sitting in Congress, with co-sponsors that range from Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). The argument against passing it has always been the same: that ending the practice would result in workers with disabilities losing their jobs. But new peer-reviewed evidence shows that argument is wrong."

The political fight over legally paying disabled workers less than minimum wage can seem like a disability issue from another age, when progressive legislation still seemed possible. But, while subminimum wage is getting steadily less common in the US, it's still legal and used in many states. And it's still arguably outdated and offensive enough to make ending it a plausibly bipartisan cause that doesn't have to be completely fouled by today's thick ideological pollution. As this article points out, the arguments are the same as they have been for the last 3o years. And far fewer people are as invested in subminimum wage than ever before. Abolishing it still seems worth the argument and the political effort.

Disabled people with lifelong conditions facing ‘unnecessary’ Pip reassessments

Frances Ryan, The Guardian - June 15, 2026

"Figures show 73% of people with learning disabilities, 86% of those who had an amputation, and 62% of claimants with cerebral palsy were given fixed-term awards – meaning they are required to undergo reassessments every three years. This also applied to 89% of claimants with multiple sclerosis and 61% with Parkinson’s – conditions with little to no prospect of significant improvement."

If I understand this correctly, the problem here isn't that the rules are bad. It's that the rules aren't being followed consistently. Is that right? I suppose we shouldn't be shocked. I know plenty of disabled people who simply take it for granted that programs affecting disabled people are very nearly lawless. They assume that decisions are made by callous, opinionated, ableist bureaucrats who are basically allowed to do as they please, without accountability.. I don't think that's nearly as true as some people think. But, when it is true, we need to acknowledge it and deal with it much more effectively than we are.

Disabled Adults Find Gainful Employment and Live Independently With New RICH PARENTS™ Program

Anton Spivack, The Squeaky Wheel - June 12, 2026

"RICH PARENTS™ provide disabled people with gainful employment through methods such as 'owning the company,' 'doing the hiring,' and even 'contributing direct financial assistance' to the extent that it completely eliminates the need for employment. They also assist disabled people in obtaining higher education by 'being legacy.' They have recently enacted housing programs enabling disabled people to live away from their parents’ home, such as 'paying their rent' and 'taking out a co-op in the person’s name.'"

This satirical piece in The Squeaky Wheel links directly to those feel-good news stories we see every year about parents of disabled children who are helping "solve" the disability unemployment problem by starting their own business and hiring disabled people. It also brings to mind the rich families who found "supportive communities" for their autistic or intellectually disabled children, as a "solution" to the accessible housing and home care problem as they perceive it. The article makes fun of wealth and privilege. It also underscores two important lessons about life with disabilities. One, as Tyrion Lannister says in Game of Thrones, "If you're going to be a cripple, it's better to be a rich cripple." And two, there are quite a few disability-related problems that actually can be solved by "throwing money at them."

Disability Thinking Weekday is a Monday-Friday newsletter with links and commentary on disability-related articles and other content. You can help promote Disability Thinking Weekday by forwarding it by email or posting on your social media. You can also comment by sending me an email at: apulrang@icloud.com. Collected comments are shared on the first of each month. A free subscription sends a newsletter to your email each weekday. Benefits of paid subscription include:

• A monthly recap with links to all of the previous month's shared articles, organized by topic.
• Listing as a supporter, and a link to your website if you have one.
• You can recommend one disability-related article for me to share per month in a weekday post.

In June and July, annual paid memberships are discounted at $40. It's a great time to support Disability Thinking Weekday. Just click the "Subscribe or Upgrade" button below to get started.

I am so grateful for your help and engagement, in whichever forms you choose!

Free subscribers: 1,282
Paid subscribers: 48