Normalization and the sheltered workshop: a review and proposals for change.

About the Authors Robert P. Marinelli, Ed.D. Mr. Power is * doctoral candidate in the department of rehabilitation counseling at Boston University. Currently he is extensively involved in exploring more effective methods for rehabilitating the long-term, chronically ill patient. Prior to his returning to his graduate studies he was employed for two and one-half years as a rehabilitation counselor for a sheltered workshop in California. Mr. Power has also worked as a counseling psychologist with the Veterans Administration and received his Master's degree in rehabilitation counseling from San Diego State University. He is a member of the National Rehabilitation Association and its divisions, the National Rehabilitation Counseling Association and Vocational Evaluation and Work Adjustment Association. Dr. Marinelli is assistant professor and program director in the department of rehabilitation counseling, Sargent College of Allied Health Professions, Boston University. In addition, he is involved in research activities relating attitudes and behavior toward disabled persons. Dr. Marinelli received a D.Ed. degree in 1971 from the rehabilitation counseling program at Pennsylvania State University, where he taught for one year in the rehabilitation education programs. Prior to his doctoral study, he was for two years a rehabilitation counselor at the Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Center. Dr. Marinelli is presently a consultant to the Veterans Administration Hospital in Boston and the Social Security Administration. He is a member of the National Rehabilitation Association and its divisions (National Rehabilitation Counseling Association and Vocational Evaluation and Work Adjustment Association) and the American Personnel and Guidance Association (American Rehabilitation Counseling and National Vocational Guidance Associations). 'T'HE FRAME of reference from which many rehabilitation and helping services are provided is to create a controlling environment that will, hopefully, stabilize sickness or deviancy. This rehabilitation effort wishes to achieve the goal of stopping certain behaviors without instilling new, positive directions. Within this atmosphere and with these goals, new, healthy life-styles are not therapeutically created and nourished. These beliefs have been previously emphasized by Leitner and Drasgow, as well as by others. With less than normal expectations, in an environment provided by many sheltered workshops that is more in harmony with deviancy than normalcy, the handicapped are only being contained in their weakness. The entire so-called "therapeutic atmosphere" is not enabling people to grow from their strengths. Program results reflect the program itself. The rapid turnover of many clients, clients seeking a haven in the terminal workshop when there is measured capability for competitive employment, few competitive job placements—all bear evidence that, if our expectations in the workshop and in rehabilitation are considerably less than normal, we will achieve less than normal results. Relevant to the necessity for a change in our rehabilitation philosophy are a renewed examination of the nature of work and a brief look at what workers think of their jobs. The Occupational Outlook Quarterly reported that in a survey conducted by the Department of Labor, where a representative sample of the nation's labor force was interviewed, most workers were happy enough at what they were doing, and only 3 percent said they were not at all satisfied. The article explained that employee contentment depends on the inter-relationship of what a worker wants and what he gets. Almost three-quarters of those interviewed felt it was very important to be doing interesting work; 17 percent felt this was "somewhat" true and only 4 percent replied "not at all." About 85 percent of the workers said that opportunities to develop their special abilities was "very" to "somewhat" important. Yet 6nly 70 percent could say such opportunities existed at all on their jobs.