US labor law has specifically allowed paying disabled people below the minimum wage for as long as the minimum wage has existed.
So what's the 'right' thing to do? I don't know what you mean by putting economics on a higher pedestal. If something isn't economically sustainable then what does it even mean to do the right thing?
Your 'right thing to do' just negatively disrupted the lives of most disabled folks without much benefit other than upholding your ideal.
[0] But wages should always be on top of minimum income, because otherwise there is a range at the bottom with no marginal incentive to do economically valuable work.
The right in question is a means to an end - financial security. Universal healthcare and a strong safety net accomplish the same thing.
It's unreasonable condition the financial security of people with disabilities on their working.