The Employment First initiative presumes that all individuals can be employed in the community regardless of their disability. The truth is that not all individuals can work in the community and others simply prefer to be employed at a sheltered workshop. Many community-based jobs are only for a few hours per week, so individuals rely on workshops to supplement their wages. Sheltered workshops play and important role in the employment picture and should be kept as a choice for individuals with developmental disabilities.
• Choice - Some individuals want jobs in the community, but others prefer jobs in a sheltered workshop. Americans with
Disabilities Act guarantees individuals has the right to choose where they work.
• Safety net - Community employment may not be full time and many individuals rely on jobs at a sheltered workshop to
supplement their income and their social opportunities.
• Integration/Isolation - A job in the community doesn't guarantee integration. In fact, in many cases, an individual may actually feel more isolated when he/she is the only person with a disability in that workplace.

The House added language to the budget that requires the Department of Developmental Disabilities to support sheltered workshop services as a choice. We urge the Ohio Senate to maintain this language and to expand it to include facility-based day programs .