Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1449741
employment of people with disabilities, advocacy organiza- tions such as the National Organization on Disability continue their work to ensure equality for all workers with disabilities. This is evident particularly with the effort to eliminate sub- minimum wage 14(c). ousands of Californians work in the federal 14(c) program, which lets employers pay employees less than minimum wage. Eliminating it is critical to help qualified educators with physical disabilities overcome obstacles to gain employment. Even if educators with disabilities become gainfully employed, however, often they are restricted in their placement and have limited advancement opportunities within their careers. This issue not only impacts employers of educators with disabilities, but also impacts the communities of parents and students. Would a school district's value decrease if it employed educators with disabilities? If students learn that their teacher has a disability, how these children learn to respond influences their attitude toward and treatment of all people they meet who are "different." ese are just a few factors to consider in having educators with disabilities in our schools. Such challenges must be recognized by all school districts, as there is still a widespread belief that educators could not have disabilities. ere is still a great need to combat the social stigma associated with disabilities, namely, that an educator with a disability has a lesser intellect. Certainly, there is a need to increase the awareness of excellent educators with disabili- ties in the workforce. By including educators with disabilities as role models for students, it increases their empathy, encourages them to face challenges, and enhances their belief that all edu- cators with disabilities are valued. United Teachers Los Angeles member Toby Tomlinson Baker, Ph.D., teaches special education in Los Angeles Unified School District and is an adjunct lecturer at CSU Los Angeles. She received the Harrison Sylvester Award for her research from the Learning Disabilities Association of America and was CHADD's (Children and Adults With ADHD) 2018 Educator of the Year. 17 F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 2 2