People First of Ohio — House Commerce and Labor Committee (5/13/25)

Summary

Testimony of People First of Ohio, dated 5/13/25 and addressed to Chair Johnson, Vice Chair Lear, Ranking Member McNally and members of the House Commerce and Labor Committee. The testimony describes People First of Ohio as Ohio's only Self-Advocacy Organization whose board is entirely made up of individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). It states that the organization supports the phasing out of 14c certificates in Ohio and was involved in Ohio's original Employment First Task Force. It states that Adult Day Services programs will not be effected by this bill. It closes by supporting the passage of HB 225.

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“People First of Ohio — House Commerce and Labor Committee (5/13/25).” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2025-05-14-commerce-labor-testimony-testimony-7663-30520df0d6/, SHA-256 ff2097384a24f881276ad7015fc56ba41f5c35fef37270796aacdfbb8e9045a1.

Full text

5/13/25
Chair Johnson, Vice Chair Lear, Ranking Member McNally, and members of the House
Commerce and Labor Committee:
People First of Ohio is Ohio’s only Self-Advocacy Organization whose board is entirely
made up of individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). Many of
our members throughout the state have, at some point, received segregated vocational
services under the 14c exemption of minimum wage.
People First strongly supports the phasing out of 14c certificates in the state of Ohio as a
show of faith in our abilities. With the supports which already exist within the Medicaid
Waivers and services through Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD), true
vocational training for viable jobs within our communities will prove that we are an
Employment First state.
Our members with IDD have found success with quality training and are now employed
in various positions at hospitals, local businesses, in hospitality, pharmacies, schools,
universities and more. Many have become small business owners. None of these
options to become employed within the community were trained within a segregated
14c setting. They were trained within the community.
For individuals who are not interested in competitive employment, there are a wide
variety of providers offering Adult Day Services. These programs will not be effected by
this bill and will still be afforded the opportunity to explore employment options.
As an organization, People First of Ohio was involved in Ohio’s original Employment First
Task Force. We strongly believe that our membership deserves the same respect and
dignity as other employees to be paid a fair wage for completed work in an integrated
setting. 14c is in essence, a discrimination of employees based solely on a diagnosis and
a modern-day segregation of Ohioans and contrary to the core of Employment First.
People First of Ohio proudly supports the passage of HB 225, phasing out the
subminimum practices within Ohio.

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