Abstract

Based on interviews and observations conducted in France between 2018 and 2019, this article discusses the notion of a “social welfare model” theorised by sociologist Katharina Heyer, by examining of the implementation of sheltered work policies in France. Facing the evolution of public policies in France, and their will to transform sheltered workshops into transition platforms leading to ordinary employment, can sheltered work establishments still be described as parallel and separate paths to the ordinary labour market? This article shows that the organisation of work in a sheltered environment cannot be thought of in isolation from what is practised in an ordinary environment. Sheltered workshops can provide a response to the specific needs of disabled people, given the dysfunctional nature of the rights model in the ordinary workplace. Nevertheless, ordinary employment remains a reference when organising productive activities in the workshops: it helps define what constitutes work from leisure activities, and it constitutes a model from which to distinguish or to aspire to.