Gaps in services for people with disabilities

In some ways, it's a good time for people with disabilities in Washington state and Snohomish County. The legislature surprised everyone by doing an about-face and funding all students who are transitioning from school district services to adult services. Last year, there was no funding at all for transition students. Given budget shortfalls, no one expected full funding this round--but we got it, thanks to some tireless advocates and supportive legislators. There was also no funding cut this time to employment vendors like Sherwood's Career Connection program, versus last year's 1.75% cut.

But gaps remain. The one that keeps rearing its especially ugly head is the gap between what people with the most significant disabilities want and need in terms of employment services and what the system can afford to provide.

The old model was to create sheltered workshops where people with the most signficant barriers could work and learn skills. A newer model has developed in recent years that stresses real jobs in inclusive community work environments. There are good reasons for the shift--people learn more, earn more, develop more relationships, and usually are happier when they have typical jobs in the community.

But as public funding has increasingly moved in that direction, and as the private contracts that used to help pay for workshops have steadily shrunk, it has created a gap in hours for people who have worked a long time in sheltered workshops. They may go from a 4- or 5-day-a-week work schedule in the workshop to a 1- or 2-day-a-week schedule of working or looking for work in the community.

What to do with the rest of those hours? What options are there for people with high support needs to find meaningful activities and have the necessary support from a caregiver to access various activities? Respite dollars are often tight for families, and aren't even available to Adult Family Home (AFH) providers. They must absorb the extra hours of care somehow, without any additional resources.

We continue to struggle with this. As an employment provider, our role is really to focus on work. We can't provide respite or recreational activities--they're outside of our area of training, and we don't have the capacity to add new programs. But of course we want to help the individuals we know who are affected by reduced hours.

Maybe it's time for a new discussion among providers, parents, self-advocates, and others to look for some different options.

The thing about sheltered workshops

The thing about sheltered workshops is that they DO serve a purpose--but can't we do better? Advocates point to the need for work that matches people's abilities, the importance of having a regular job to go to, and the relative safety and security of sheltered workshops compared to typical jobs in the community. True enough.

But we also know that typical jobs have many benefits for people with disabilities that workshops can't match. First of all, the work is meaningful and develops skills that people in the real world pay for. A lot of work that we give people in workshop settings is 'special' work--simple, repetitive tasks that don't translate well to typical job settings. People get bored. Boredom sometimes leads to negative behaviors. Over time, being in a workshop actually makes it HARDER for people to get jobs in the community, where they could learn new skills, broaden their social relationships, and earn more money so they can have more independence and choice.

The majority of workshops pay subminimum wage. Wages are based on measuring people's productivity against that of a 'typical' worker doing the same task, so their pay is supposed to be commensurate with how much they produce. This can become a self-fulfilling trap of sorts. We give people menial, boring tasks, which often don't change for years--and when they work slowly, we point to that and say they aren't 'ready' to work in the community. We lower our expectations. We stop being creative and looking for ways to improve their productivity so they CAN work in a typical job.

The economic model of workshops hasn't worked well in years, and it keeps getting more difficult to sustain. In a rapidly changing world (think automation and global outsourcing), the kinds of work that used to be set aside for people with significant disabilities have become less and less available. Commercial contracts are harder to find and they pay less. Public funding is also less available as funders put their resources into community-based employment.

Recent research indicates that people who move from workshop settings to community jobs report more satisfaction and more social connections. They also make more money. Sure, there are some people who are not motivated by money. But nearly everyone benefits from having more of it. If you rely on Social Security as your main source of income, there's very little left over to buy a movie ticket, have lunch out with a friend, go bowling, or buy a new CD. The subminimum wages paid to people with disabilities often result in ridiculously small checks--a few dollars a month, which often isn't even enough to cover the costs of transportation to and from work. Working at minimum wage or above can make a real difference in the choices people with disabilities have, which translates into a better quality of life.

Have we solved all of the problems of moving people away from workshops and into more meaningful, typical, integrated settings within their communities? Sadly, no. There are gaps. As workshops continue to downsize and close around the country, the challenge is on for funders, caregivers, and service providers to replace sheltered workshop time with time that is more valuable for individuals. Sherwood is working on it--many, many people are working on it--and one day we will be able to say unequivocally, YES, we can do better.

We're in the early stages of launching our first social enterprise--'dog treats with a mission' if you will--that will create new employment opportunities for people with significant disabilities. Watch this space for more info.

Thanks for reading.