Employment is a difficult subject in the Ds community. It is a reason for advocacy but it is also a source for heated, emotional debate within the community.
Category Archives: Sheltered Workshops
News: Illinois Workshop Looses Wage Certificate
Headline out of northwest Illinois :
Self Help: We’re moving forward
Agency responds to Dept. of Labor actions, says its focused on compliance and keeping its doors open
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The Workshop Debate
One of the biggest debates in our community focuses on what we call “sheltered workshops.” Today we’ll talk about the pro’s and con’s and what the future may look like.
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Missouri Families and Lawmakers Fight to Save Sheltered Workshops
A new Missouri state resolution reaffirms the state’s support of sheltered workshops after disabled people and their families band together to “protect the right to choose sheltered employment as a valuable work choice.”
Continue reading Missouri Families and Lawmakers Fight to Save Sheltered Workshops
Marcus talks about jobs, old and next
Why Success in Vermont May Not Translate to Other States
While I applaud the author for addressing the topic, I have a problem with how it can be (and apparently is being) misconstrued.
Continue reading Why Success in Vermont May Not Translate to Other States
Sheltered Workshops and Light Reading
A few days ago President Obama signed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. If you’re interested in a PDF of the bill summary, just let me know and I’ll shoot you a copy.
I wrote a brief post here on The Road We’ve Shared about a month ago about Sheltered Workshops and it can be found here.
This week I posted a more complete rant, as I lovingly call it, in three parts.
1) Why Sheltered Workshops Work?
2) What Forces People Into Sheltered Workshops?
3) What is the Answer to the Sheltered Workshop Question?
Well, that’s enough light reading for today J Please do keep us at The Road in the loop of what you know and learn and also please share any way/where you think we should be adding a voice.
And remember that all points of view are respected and valued here on The Road.
I guess it’s time for me jump into the sheltered workshops discussion
1) The conflicting output of regulations from state to state to federal to state
2) The many overgeneralizations about both workshops and the clients who choose this option
3) The lack of compassion for those who actually appreciate the role of
sheltered workshops
4) The lack of communication with those most vulnerable and
5) My own insignificance.
Continue reading I guess it’s time for me jump into the sheltered workshops discussion
Perceptions – Sheltered Workshops

What do you think other peoples’ perception of you is?
You are an important person, the result of a complex mixture of characteristics that combine to form your personality. You have both positive and negative qualities – strengths and weaknesses – as well as personal likes and dislikes. This makes you totally unique and different from everyone else. You belong to the human family and yet you are an individual. You defy simple descriptions and labels because you are more than just a “type of person”. Each of us is convinced of our own worth. We each believe that the world would be changed forever if we were not present, and that is certainly true. We all play our respective roles in life, and without us things could not possibly be the same. These are the perceptions we embrace concerning our own lives.
Remembering Willowbrook
- It brought back memories from when I first heard about the beginnings of deinstitutionalization, and
- I’ve recently been writing about how I see the similarities between deinstitutionalization and the affect that the Rhode Island decision will have on sheltered workshops.