From Sheltered Workshops to Integrated Employment: A Long Transition

This literature review will examine the policy history of sheltered workshops and integrated employment and discuss the successes and limitations of the current legislation surrounding the employment of individuals with disabilities. The review will also explore the research that reveals the negative impacts of segregation and the benefits of integration both for the individual and community at large. It will review cost-efficiency of both sheltered and integrated employment and some of the barriers to organizational change that have slowed the transition. This literature review will conclude with summaries of current research as well as suggestions for policy and philosophy changes to encourage an expansion of integrated employment with a career-minded focus