Here's the big story:

It's lunchtime at Dake Junior High School in West Irondequoit. Students are moving through the cafeteria line, trays in hand, as 55-year-old Debbie Lane takes their orders for pizza, tater tots and fried chicken.

"First we prep the food, cook the food, and then I usually serve the students then do the cleanup afterwards," Lane said, describing her job.

She has worked for the school district for six years.

"This is the best job I've had," she said, "because they seem to understand."

That understanding that Lane finds from her supervisors was missing from her previous job as a house cleaner, which she lost because she wasn't working fast enough, she says.

"I'm a slow learner," she explained. "I have some anxiety. I have a back issue and I can't do heavy lifting."

According to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment rate for people with disabilities was about 19% in 2021, compared to 64% for those without disabilities.

As employers across all sectors continue compete for a shrinking pool of potential workers, some are realizing people with disabilities shouldn't be overlooked. Like many managers, Betsy LoGiudice, the school lunch director for the West Irondequoit school district, has had a hard time hiring and retaining employees, especially since COVID-19 infections began spreading in Monroe County in March 2020.

Other news you should know about:

• A new poll out Monday shows Gov. Kathy Hochul with her highest job approval and favorability ratings since taking office.
• The Climate Solutions Accelerator of the Genesee Finger Lakes Region is launching a volunteer advocacy group with the goal of prioritizing climate action in communities of color in the city.
• Roberts Wesleyan University has opened a new building it hopes will bring together students, business leaders and others from the community, for both work and play.

Gitanjali Rao was TIME Magazine’s first-ever Kid of the Year. The young scientist invented a device that detects lead in drinking water, and another that diagnoses opioid addiction. She also created an app that detects cyberbullying.

Rao, now 17 years old, will be a guest of the University of Rochester Monday night to discuss her book, "A Young Innovator's Guide to STEM," but first, she joins us on Connections to talk about using science and technology to enact social change. 

Also: Dr. David Nash is one of the country's leading experts on health care quality and patient safety. He'll be a guest of the University of Rochester Medical Center Monday night to speak about his book, “How COVID Crashed the System: A Guide to Fixing American Healthcare.” In the book, he and his co-author analyze the U.S. health care system's response to the pandemic using the approach of investigating an airplane crash.

On Connections, Nash discusses what they've identified as the root causes of the system's failures. 

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