Sheltered employment for persons with disabilities

As sheltered employment has grown so have calls for recognition of its cont ribution to the economy. The legal framework within which it operates varie s widely, from that governing an "ordinary" enterprise to that regulating t herapeutic establishments. The question therefore arises of the employment status and rights of the persons with disabilities working in such "protect ed environments". The author examines how far its "protective" function inf luences working conditions, and then outlines a typology of approaches to s heltered workshops, in all regions. He concludes that impairment presents n o insurmountable obstacle to integration into working life or to workers' p ersonal and collective fulfilment.