Remploy staff reject claims of disabled segregation

The government – and some disability groups – want to close Remploy’s sheltered factories but the prospect of mainstream employment, assuming they can find jobs, scares the workers.

After 20 years working in a Remploy sheltered factory, there are few jobs Paul Effeny has not done. From soldering circuit boards, he has gone on to work in the kitchens and packaging electronics on the assembly line. These days he is an odd-job man, emptying bins and cleaning up.

For the 44-year-old, who suffers from severe learning difficulties, work on the factory floor in Barking, east London, with other disabled people has provided “support, advice, help and friends”. He has acquired professional qualifications and says his £246-a-week job buys him independence. “I pay rent, council tax, gas, BT, mobile,” he says.

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