We have used sheltered workshops before for assembly. There are some serious considerations you have to factor in.
Many disabled people who want to work cannot hold regular jobs They cannot make full wages or else they would only be able to work for 1 day at most because they lose their medical benefits if they make too much Often, their workplace is a wonderful environment where they feel fulfilled and are well taken care of.
This only applies to sheltered workshops, that’s my only experience...but they have a waiting list of people who want jobs.
I actually came across this issue a while back and had the same initial outrage as many other commenters. It turns out that it’s actually a more nuanced debate that I don’t think I can properly articulate here, but some of it included:
keeps disabled people feeling productive allows disabled people to feel like they’re members of society and normalizes their experience: they get to go to work just like their peers task is something super basic like stuffing envelopes, and productivity is low as it’s almost like daycare with a task to do while you’re there it provides a social outlet and a lot of these workers really enjoy it. It pays so low that it really wouldn’t make a material difference to their life anyways so it’s more like pocket money for snacks and fun things: this is not intended to support these individuals fully many of workers would not be hired elsewhere these jobs would not exist without subminimum wage and many individuals would be upset to lose their job allows for their caregivers to do other things (like work themselves) which is good for 1) making money themselves to pay for disabled person and 2) break from caregiving fatigue
Now this isn’t true of all these jobs and I know there’s more to it, but I encourage you to learn more. There are definitely companies that are taking advantage of others but just remember that there’s some gray area here too. I recall watching some really interesting videos on YouTube explaining this further.
There are major nuances to appreciate here. Some people have such a severe disability that they can't do much, or any, productive work. Some 'workplaces' offering 'supported employment' are really just like a day program to keep those people occupied and feeling like they have purpose. Having a job provides a sense of dignity, but many of them cannot actually do productive work and are just being supervised and entertained.
In Australia (where I work in this industry) people with severe intellectual disabilities can be paid below minimum wage in extreme cases like this; where they cannot do productive work. It has to be this way or nobody would take them on, as they're not actually able to do 'work.'
Not everybody with 'learning disabilities' is like the woman in the photo. I think a lot of society is shielded from just how significant disabilities can be.
sab340 on December 2nd, 2020 at 01:26 UTC »
We have used sheltered workshops before for assembly. There are some serious considerations you have to factor in.
Many disabled people who want to work cannot hold regular jobs They cannot make full wages or else they would only be able to work for 1 day at most because they lose their medical benefits if they make too much Often, their workplace is a wonderful environment where they feel fulfilled and are well taken care of.This only applies to sheltered workshops, that’s my only experience...but they have a waiting list of people who want jobs.
AlphaPeach on December 2nd, 2020 at 02:10 UTC »
I actually came across this issue a while back and had the same initial outrage as many other commenters. It turns out that it’s actually a more nuanced debate that I don’t think I can properly articulate here, but some of it included:
keeps disabled people feeling productive allows disabled people to feel like they’re members of society and normalizes their experience: they get to go to work just like their peers task is something super basic like stuffing envelopes, and productivity is low as it’s almost like daycare with a task to do while you’re there it provides a social outlet and a lot of these workers really enjoy it. It pays so low that it really wouldn’t make a material difference to their life anyways so it’s more like pocket money for snacks and fun things: this is not intended to support these individuals fully many of workers would not be hired elsewhere these jobs would not exist without subminimum wage and many individuals would be upset to lose their job allows for their caregivers to do other things (like work themselves) which is good for 1) making money themselves to pay for disabled person and 2) break from caregiving fatigueNow this isn’t true of all these jobs and I know there’s more to it, but I encourage you to learn more. There are definitely companies that are taking advantage of others but just remember that there’s some gray area here too. I recall watching some really interesting videos on YouTube explaining this further.
miss-robot on December 2nd, 2020 at 02:25 UTC »
There are major nuances to appreciate here. Some people have such a severe disability that they can't do much, or any, productive work. Some 'workplaces' offering 'supported employment' are really just like a day program to keep those people occupied and feeling like they have purpose. Having a job provides a sense of dignity, but many of them cannot actually do productive work and are just being supervised and entertained.
In Australia (where I work in this industry) people with severe intellectual disabilities can be paid below minimum wage in extreme cases like this; where they cannot do productive work. It has to be this way or nobody would take them on, as they're not actually able to do 'work.'
Not everybody with 'learning disabilities' is like the woman in the photo. I think a lot of society is shielded from just how significant disabilities can be.