Some workshops are definitely better than others. And they really are not for all of our kids. Some of them are awful, I won't name names since I can only remember the one I thought was awful and can't remember the name of the one I really liked. Our oldest foster daughter went into a workshop because she did not have the social skills to get and keep a job outside without support. Because of this we went and observed the three in our area, really only one was awful, one was okay and one was superior, but the best one was further away and would have required more involved transportation that our daughter was ready for.
As it turned out, I used to work with clients who had intellectual disabilities and so I knew a few people in the two workshops my daughter considered, and they were actually quite happy - even in the one I deemed awful. Their friends were happy too. Even though they are paid very poorly and it is not something I would EVER want to do, there is a good portion of the developmentally disabled population who gets a great deal of esteem and pride out of going to work in the workshop environment every day and feeling a sense of accomplishment.
Not all clients at the workshops stay inside though. Our foster daughter worked her way into a group that worked at a local university cleaning the tables and equipment at the student cafeteria. She was also in a group that cleaned outside businesses for a while. This was much more typical work and prepared her for getting a job outside without supervision.
Still, this is not to say that this is the environment for everyone. Our foster daughter was really underpaid, and because of her level of functioning she felt under appreciated because of the low pay. It deteriorated her self esteem to be paid such a low wage and to be working so hard for that wage. It came out to under $1 an hour - a travesty! I felt they took advantage of the clients in that regard, but remember this wasn't the higher quality workshop either.
She also had the chance to take classes at the workshop, these were life skills classes in money and basic math skills. She also took classes that were in preparation for taking classes at a community college. So workshops aren't just about adults sitting around doing repetitious work, although that is part of it and appropriate for some clients, certainly not the only thing they offer.
I don't relish the idea of my child going to work for low pay and doing repetitious work, but the truth is if she enjoys it and gets some pride out of it, I think it's great. If she can go out into the community with a job coach and get some esteem from that, great! If she can learn some job skills that she can take with her all the better. We are all drawn to others who are like us. And we find those people at work or at school when we are at different ages. My fear would be keeping my child at home, segregated and lonely. I must admit, I hope to move to Orange County though, so that my daughter can go into the workshop that coaches kids working at Disneyland, so she can work there just like her mom and her grandma before her! If not though, I'll give her what makes her as happy as I can.
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