People with visual impairments make soap at New Taipei ‘shelter factory’
People with visual impairments make soap at New Taipei ‘shelter factory’
2023-05-30
Now we turn to the topic of employment equality. Finding work as a person with a disability can often be hard in Taiwan. But local governments are trying to create new routes into work for disabled people. In New Taipei, the local government has partnered with a business to open a “shelter factory.” Its mission: to make soap. It provides stable jobs and training to people with visual impairments. So far the project is a big success, and officials hope it will inspire more companies to throw out stereotypes about disabled workers.
Workers stir soap continuously and evenly, their gaze fixed on each step of the process. The “Love Happiness” shelter factory in New Taipei offers employees a stable work environment and professional training.
They take care over every detail – in soap-making you can’t cut corners. There are 11 steps in hand-making a bar of soap, from mixing the ingredients to filling molds, cutting the bars out, filing the edges and packing them. These multicolored natural soaps are made with premium virgin olive oil and other simple ingredients.
Wang Ching-wen
Taiwan Association for Visual Impaired People
Is there a place for them to settle down and start a career after school? Is there a place where they can fulfill their potential? Here, not only can they get on with their careers, they can also give back to society.
Facilities designed for visually impaired workers are everywhere in the factory – like this hand rail to help blind people navigate the room. The considerate design enables employees to settle into independent working lives.
Chen Jui-chia
New Taipei Labor Affairs Department
The shelter employees work here for a long time, and they certainly have professionalism. And they are more stable than the average worker. So we hope that every company can offer job opportunities to people with disabilities. I think their job performance will surprise us.
Bars of soap are lined up to dry. As the workers here produce high-quality soaps, they make short work of stereotypes about disability, and create fulfilling independent lives.
輔導身障者就業 新北成立"愛幸福庇護工場"
2023-05-30
輔導身心障礙者就業並不容易，新北市勞工局與民間團體成立愛幸福庇護工場。其中製作出高品質的手工精油香皂，廣受各界好評。希望透過職務設計，不只幫助庇護員工能獨當一面，也讓他們盡情發揮所長，找到人生的價值。
雙手不停忙碌，仔細攪拌均勻，專注的眼神，緊盯每個步驟。新北愛幸福庇護工場，打造穩定工作環境，也提供專業的輔導訓練。
庇護員工仔細叮嚀製作細節，每個環節都不能馬虎。從調配、攪拌、入模、切皂、修邊再包裝，前後經過11道手工程序。五顏六色的天然色料，搭配頂級初榨橄欖油，用料也很實在。
[[臺灣視障協會理事長 王晴紋]]
“離開學校之後，有沒有一個地方可以讓他安身立命，有沒有一個地方讓他能夠發揮潛能，不但能夠自己在這邊安身立命，他也能夠回饋社會”
庇護工場裡頭，處處可見無障礙設施，像是專為視障朋友方便行走的扶手櫃，貼心設計就希望幫成員適應獨立生活。
[[新北市府勞工局局長 陳瑞嘉]]
“庇護員工在這邊長時間工作，其實他們也一定具有專業性，而且他們的穩定度，會比一般勞工來的穩定，所以我們希望所有的企業，都能給身心障礙者一個工作機會，我想他們的表現，會出乎我們意料之外”
一塊又一塊，整齊排放準備風乾。庇護成員製作高品質的手工香皂，更在工作中找到幸福價值。
Related News
