Approximately 4.5 million individuals in the United States have developmental disabilities (DD) such as mental retardation, autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, and epilepsy. An estimated 30 percent of working-age adults in this population are employed, either in facility-based settings (“sheltered workshops”) or in the conventional labor market. Over the past several years, there has been less of an emphasis on placing adults with DD in sheltered workshops and more of an effort to integrate these workers into mainstream jobs.
In a study conducted in 1999, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) assessed the health and safety hazards present in sheltered workshops and offered recommendations for protecting workers employed in these settings. In 2005, NIOSH contracted with the Labor Occupational Health Program at the University of California Berkeley to conduct a needs assessment, focusing on the experiences of workers with developmental disabilities who are employed in conventional settings. The current project evaluated the extent to which federal agencies and national disability organizations are addressing issues related to the occupational safety and health of workers with developmental disabilities.
Specifically, the project involved (1) conducting a comprehensive literature review; (2) identifying the national organizations and federal agencies with a role related to the employment of adults with developmental disabilities; (3) interviewing key staff from the national organizations and federal agencies to assess interest and involvement in the issue; (4) identifying and interviewing at least one employer who is employing large numbers of persons with DD; and (5) identifying potential candidates for an ad hoc working group to further explore the topic. Results of this study indicate that although researchers have called for increased attention to the occupational safety and health of workers with developmental disabilities, almost no one at the national level is assisting in this effort.
English PDF: https://lohp.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/nioshfinalreport.pdf
