Reasonable Accommodation and Sheltered Workshops for People with Disabilities: Costs and Returns of Investments

Abstract

Commissioned by the European Parliament's Policy Department A: Economic and Scientific Policy for the Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL), this study provides an overview of the policy measures in place to encourage and support the employment of people with disabilities and in particular: sheltered workshops; reasonable accommodations; alternative labour market policies; and Universal Design. It provides information on developments on costs and returns of investment for these measures, detailed descriptions of the situation in six Member States (Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom) and an economic analysis of selected measures. Costs and returns of investments consist of the costs associated with the intervention, their effects (the extent to which the objectives have been achieved), and their benefits (the monetary value of the effects) - this may include intangible benefits such as quality of life as well as financial returns.