The News Lens
Date: 2017/09/28
By: Rosemary Chen

Craft workshops are often the only chance for graduates of Taiwan’s special needs

Credit: TriSoap’s Facebook fan page.

schools to make a valuable contribution to society. But with funding in short supply, the system is leaning on startups like handmade soap specialist TriSoap to bring down costs and keep the workshops in business.

Underfunded and unable to self-sustain, Taiwan’s “craft workshops” are turning to collaboration with startups to stay afloat.

Craft workshops are an essential bridge that offer graduates of special needs schools who cannot manage the demands of regular employment an opportunity to enjoy the benefits of stable and productive work. The government first established the initiative in 2009 to boost rates of employment among people with disabilities in Taiwan – currently 11 percent, compared with a national rate of 4 percent.
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