THIS.
PAUL WHAT IS THE ISSUE THE STATE
HAS WITH THE PROGRAM?
REPORTER: WELL, THE STATE WANTS
MORE FOLKS WITH DISABILITIES OUT
IN THE COMMUNITY AND IT ITS
PUSHING A NAH RULE TO DO JUST
THAT.
BUT FAMILIES OF ONE OF THESE
JOBS PROGRAMS CALLED SHELTERED
WORKSHOPS SAYS IT DOES WONDERS
FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
IT SAYS IT WILL FORCE MORE
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY TO SILT
AT HOME WHILE COSTING TA
TAXPAYERS MILLIONS IF THEY SHUT
IT DOWN.
THIS MAY LOOK LIKE ANY OTHER
SHOP FLOOR AND IN MANY WAYS IT
IS.
THE WORKERS HERE SHRED
DOCUMENTS, STUFF ENVELOPES AND
CRUSH OLD TAPES.
IT'S TEDIOUS WORK BUT THEY ARE
HAPPY TO DO IT.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THE WORK
THAT YOU DO HERE?
>> EVERYTHING.
REPORTER: WORKERS AT THIS SHOP
RUN BY THE WESTMOELAND COUNTY
BLIND ASSOCIATION HAVE
INTELLECTUAL OR PHYSICAL
DISABILITIES.
THEY SAY THEY ARE COMFORTABLE
HERE.
>> THEY TREAT YOU LIKE AN
INDIVIDUAL, NOT LIKE YOU'RE
SOMEBODY YOUR NOT.
NOT LIKE YOU'RE STUPID.
>> OUR BOSSES DO NOT CONSIDER US
AS CLIENTS OR DISABLED PEOPLE.
THEY CONSIDER US AS ANOTHER
HUMAN BEING.
REPORTER: THAT IS A BIG REASON
SHELTERED WORKSHOS WERE CREATED
DECADE AGO.
SOME CRITICS SAY THE WORKSHOPS
SEGREGATE PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITIES FROM THE LARGER
COMMUNITY.
NOW PENNSYLVANIA IS CONSIDERING
NEW RULES THAT WOULD REQUIRE
THOSE WITH DISABILITIES TO SPEND
UP TO 75% OF THEIR TIME IN THE
COMMUNITY.
THE BLIND ASSOCIATION SAYS THAT
COULD SPELL THE END OF THIS AND
OTHER WORKSHOPS THE >>
THEY ARE TRYING TO PROMOTE
INDEPENDENCE AND CHOICE.
IN MY OPINION THEY ARE
ELMINATING A CHOICE OF WHAT
THESE INDIVIDUALS WANT TO DO.
REPORTER: ACTION NEWS
INVESTIGATES WENT TO THE STATE
OFFICIAL PUSHING THE PLAN.
HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY TED
DALLAS.  THEY ARE HAPPY, THEIR
FAMILIES ARE HAPPEN HE, WHY DO
YOU WANT TO DISRUPT IT?
>>
I DON'T THINK WE ARE DISRUPTING
IT THAT MUCH.
OUR GOAL IS SIMPLE IF YOU CAN
WORK IN THE COMMUNITY AND YOU'RE
ABLE TO DO THAT WE WANT YOU TO
BE THERE, WE WANT YOU TO HAVE
THAT QUALITY OF LIFE, WE WANT
YOU TO INTERACT WITH EVERYONE
THE WE WANT YOU TO HAVE WHAT WE
CALL AN EVERY DAY LIFE.
REPORTER: THE BLIND ASSOCIATION
SAYS ABOUT THRE
THREE-QUARTERS
OF THE PEOPLE HERE WOULD NOT BE
ABLE TO TOLD DOWN AN OUTSIDE
JOB.
THE SISTER OF MICHAEL KISSEL WHO
HAS DOWN SYNDROME RECALLED WHEN
HE TRIED TO WORK AT FAST-FOOD
RESTAURANT.
>> A NEW MANAGER CAME ON AND
DECIDED THAT THE RETARD, AND SHE
USED THE WORD TO HIM MULTIPLE
TIMES, EMBARRASSED HIM IN FRONT
OF PEOPLE THAT WORKED THERE, AS
WELL AS CUSTOMERS, AND MICHA
SHUTDOWN.
HE WAS DONE.
REPORTER: FOR PEOPLE WHO WORK
HERE THIS IS NOT JUST A JOB,
IT'S A COMMUNITY, A SOCIAL ME
NETWORK AND THEY AND THEIR
FAMILIES TELL ME WITHOUT IT THEY
WOULD HAVE NO PLACE TO GO, NO
PLACE TO WORK.
BILLY CREDITU CRAWFORD'S MOTHER
SAID HIS LIFE WOULD BE RADICALLY
DIFFERENT WITHOUT THE WORKSHOP.
>> HE WOULD BE SITTING AT HOME
BEING BOARD BECAUSE HE'S NOT
CAPABLE OF WORKING OUTSIDE OF
HERE.
REPORTER: LAURIE CRAWFORD AND
OTHER PARENTS SAY STATE
OFFICIALS SHOULD WALK IN THEIR
SHOES.
>>
THEY HAVE NO CLUE WHAT US
PARENTS DEAL WITH DAY IN DAY
OUT.
REPORTER: CHRISTINE, WHO HAS
DOWN SYNDROME LOOKS FORWARD TO
COMING TO WORK EVERY DAY
ACCORDING TO HER FATHER.
>> I KNOW SHE DOESN'T WANT TO
LEAVE HERE.
THAT WOULD REALLY -- THAT COULD
DO SOME MAJOR THINGS TO HER.
REPORTER: DALLAS SAYS EVIDENCE
SHOWS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
DO BETTER WHEN WORKSHOPS CLOSE
AND THEY INTEGRATE INTO THE
LARGER COMMUNICATE BUT NOT
ALWAYS ACCORDING TO A STUDY BY
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
THAT LOOKED AT THE IMPACT OF
SHUTTING DOWN WORKSHOPS LIKE THE
ONE IN GREENSBURG.
THE STUDY FOUND SUCCESS IN
VERMONT AND WASHINGTON STATE
WITH LARGE NUMBERS OF THOSE WITH
DISABILITIES FINDING JOBS IN
TYPICAL WORKPLACES.
BUT IN MAINE THE STUDY FOUND
FEWER PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL
DISABILITY ARE WORKING AND MANY
OF THOSE WHO ARE WORKING ARE
WORKING FEWER HOURS AND HAVE
SHORTER WORK WEEKS.
IN PENNSYLVANIA THE BLIND
ASSOCIATION DIRECTOR SAYS THE
RULES CHANGE COULD ALSO COST
TAXPAYERS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS AT
A TIME THE STATE IS TRYING TO
CUT BILLIONS FROM THE BUDGET.
>> ELIMINATE SOMETHING THAT IS
WORKING, AND TRY SOMETHING KNEW
THAT HASN'T WORKED IN OTHER
STATES, AND CHARGE EVERYBODY
ELSE AN ADDITIONAL 31 MILLION.
IT'S JUST 
ILLOGICAL.
REPORTER: DALLAS SAYS IT'S
UNCLEAR WHAT THE FINAL PRICE TAG
WOULD BE.
WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILY SAY
THEIR CONCERNS ARE ABOUT CHOICE,
NOT COST.
>> YOU PEOPLE IN HARRISBURG
LISTEN UP GOOD.
I AIN'T LEAVING, NO MATTER WHAT
THEY SAY I AIN'T LEAVING.
I'M STANDING MY GROUND.
REPORTER: LOTS OF HIS COLLEAGUES
FEEL THE SAME WAY.
SECRETARY DALLAS TELLS ME THE
RULES CHANGES ARE STILL IN THE
DISCUSSION CHANGES -FPLG TH
.
THE STATE HAS RECEIVED MORE THAN
2,000 COMMENTS ABOUT THE
CHANGES.
SOME LOCAL LEGISLATORS TELL ME
THEY WANT TO KEEP THE WORKSHOPS
BUT THE LEGISLATURE WILL HAVE
LITTLE TO SAY ABOUT THIS.
WE'LL LET YOU NOT FINAL
DECISION.
PAUL VAN OSDOL, OXYCODONE AN
