Sheltered Work­shops and Individual Employment-perspectives of Consumers, Families, and Staff Members

Despite the indications of national and state policies that promote individual employment for people with disabilities, the majority of adults with developmental disabilities in the USA (76%) are served by facility-based services such as sheltered workshops. This book discusses factors that contribute to the gap between policy and prac­tice in the area of disability day services. The discussion is based on results from a survey involving 210 adults with intellectual disabilities who atten­deded 19 workshops, their respective families (N = 185), and staff members of the workshops (N = 224). The research questions focused on: (a) respon­dents' preferences between workshops and individual employment; (b) respon­dents' perceptions about the consumers' ability to perform in individual employment; (c) considerations influencing respondents' choices between work­shops and individual employment, and (d) the role of professionals encour­aging consumers and their families in their choices about employment.