Do people with severe disabilities need the “safety net” of sheltered workshops?
Study after study has shown that people with severe disabilities can thrive in regular employment, if given the proper supports. The problem is that the bulk of public funds continue to be channeled into sheltered workshops and other segregated facilities. In its 1996 position statement on employment, the Arc of the United States recommended, “Federal and state policy shall establish as a workforce development priority, employment of people with mental retardation in competitive settings with supports as necessary.” Ironically, neither Consolidated Industries nor the sheltered workshop of the Arc of Onondaga have served people with the most severe disabilities. From the vantage point of sheltered workshops, these people are deemed unproductive and unlikely to help them fulfill their contract work. People with severe disabilities are working in supported employment, receiving nonvocational day habilitation services, or sitting at home. Should people with disabilities have the “choice” o
