Closing the Shop

More than ever before, people with severe disabilities are taking their places as fully participating members of society; yet, many continue to work in sheltered workshops instead of enjoying the rewards of employment in their communities. Closing the Shop: Conversion from Sheltered to Integrated Work provides an in-depth analysis of the conversion process as described by the people who experience it most directly. Probing case studies reveal how four agencies switched from maintaining sheltered workshops to providing integrated employment services. Professionals promoting the integration of people with disabilities in the workplace can gain insight into a host of topics relevant to conversion, including historical roots of contemporary workshops, underlying assumptions and latent functions of sheltered work, inside perspectives of those who have been involved in and affected by workshop conversion, specific descriptions of agency change to integrated employment, and strategies for restructuring workshops and training staff. An essential hands-on guide for job development specialists, vocational rehabilitation professionals, and agency leaders and staff, Closing the Shop will enable people with severe disabilities to leave sheltered work and enter the world of competitive employment.