that enforcement action shall only be taken once the PDRPA is amended by the
MOHW to include reasonable accommodation and to stipulate that the refusal of
reasonable accommodation shall be characterized as discrimination by law, and
the relevant amendments apply to both private and public agencies. Because
reasonable workplace accommodation cases require precedence in different
disability categories, the NHRC recommends that the MOL enforce reasonable
accommodation as soon as possible to minimize employer-employee disputes.
120. The number of persons with disabilities who received subsidies for
employment-related assistive devices increased year-over-year between 2016
and 2019 (358 to 608). Furthermore, local governments continued to provide
subsidies to cover the costs of job redesign services on a per-case basis and
exempt employees with disabilities from the NT $100,000 limit. However, the
NHRC discovered from data provided by the MOL that persons who received
subsidies were concentrated in a handful of cities and counties. Many cities and
counties have had zero subsidy cases. Moreover, only ten applicants across five
local governments exceeded the subsidy limit of NT $100,000. Subsidization
equality remains an urgent issue pending resolve by the MOL.
121. After the amendment of the PDRPA in 2007, sheltered workshops were redefined
as workplaces for persons with disabilities. However, the annual growth of
sheltered workshops and sheltered employment opportunities has slightly
stagnated. Financial autonomy- and productivity-based systems blur the
definition of sheltered workshops and limit their effectiveness. Sheltered
workshops serve two functions: counseling and management. Therefore,
providers of sheltered workshops are largely non-profit organizations that are
only able to offer repetitive, low entry-level production or manufacturing jobs at
secondary, less-competitive companies. These companies largely rely on
government funding to stay in business and only offer sheltered workers low
salaries sometimes unable to cover basic needs. Sheltered workshops aim to
provide sheltered employment and career transition and connection services to
persons with disabilities who would otherwise lack job qualifications or
competitiveness. However, the number of successful career transition and
connection is extremely low, which means the effectiveness of career transition
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