A sheltered workshop is a place of employment that provides opportunities for people who are developmentally, physically, or mentally impaired. According to the United States Social Security Administration (SSA), a sheltered workshop serves to prepare people for work in the general economy and includes services such as physical rehabilitation, basic training (e.g. handling money), specific job skill training, and providing work experience.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), a sheltered workshop differs from supported employment because it provides noncompetitive employment opportunities in a controlled working environment. Supported employment, on the other hand, is a work program that puts people with disabilities directly into a paid competitive working environment without much preparation and training.
[Last updated in July of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]