The Percentage of Supported Employees With Significant Disabilities Who Would Earn More in Sheltered Workshops

Abstract

This study examined the percentage of 21,257 supported employees served by 74 state-federal vocational rehabilitation agencies in 2013 who would have earned more wages in sheltered workshops than in the community. It found that the overwhelming majority of supported employees earned more in their communities at all wage comparison points; however, substantial differences in wages were identified according to the participant’s disability type, occupation, vocational rehabilitation agency, and the region in which they lived.

Supported employment and customized employment: How effective are these interventions and what has been their impact on the field?

“…More than 50% of veterans with a polytrauma/traumatic brain injury find employment within three months of receiving SE regardless of additional challenges such as previous incarceration or homelessness (Pogoda et al, 2022). Transition age-youth with autism spectrum disorder who participate in an SE based internship program yield competitive employment outcomes ranging from 51% to 90% (Avellone et al, 2023;Christensen & Richardson, 2017;Christensen et al, 2015;Wehman, Schall et al, 2014;2017;Whittenburg et al, 2020). On average, employment outcomes for individuals with IDD who receive SE through Vocational Rehabilitation services is 7% higher than those who do not participate in SE (Chan & Kregel, 2019).…”

“…In addition to being more likely to obtain competitive work, those who receive SE services earn more money and work more hours than those who do not receive SE (Wehman, Taylor et al, 2020). The positive impact of SE on wage and hours has been observed among transition-age youth and adults with intellectual disability (Boeltzig et al, 2008;Cimera, 2017;Grossi et al, 2019;Iwanaga et al, 2023;Kregel et al, 1989;Seward, 2022;Wehman, 1986;Wehman et al, 1989), veterans with psychiatric disorders (Davis et al, 2022), adults with autism (Martin & Lanovaz, 2021), youth with autism (Whittenburg et al, 2020), and individuals with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders (Mueser et al, 2011).…”

‘There Is Nothing Wrong with Me’: The Materialisation of Disability in Sheltered Employment

“…Sheltered workshops were established after the Second World War to provide supported employment to recovering wounded or disabled soldiers (Slorach, 2016). Since then they have evolved as segregated organisational spaces for disabled workers and tend to specialise in manufacturing or general service (Cimera, 2017). Research on sheltered employment is often contentious focusing on their poor economic viability and the subsequent low employment success rate of the individuals who attend them (e.g.…”

“…Current studies on sheltered organisations (e.g. Cimera, 2017) tend to focus on their economic performance, generally neglecting the deep understanding of the different forms of cultural and material support they provide to workers. This study focuses on a charity-based sheltered workshop operating in the UK.…”

People with intellectual disabilities and labour market inclusion: What role for EU labour law?

“…17 Even when people with ID are active in the labour market, their experience of employment differs from that of other workers. In particular, they are more likely to be in part-time work, 18 clustered in low status work, 19 and receiving low wages. 20 One US study found that people with Down Syndrome were frequently employed in restaurant/food services, office/clerical work, and cleaning/housekeeping.…”