Oregon's sheltered workshops for the disabled to be phased out under terms of settlement

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The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday that parties to a 2012 lawsuit against the state of Oregon have reached a proposed settlement that paves the way for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities to migrate from the workshops to mainstream jobs.

The Justice Department estimates that the lives of roughly 7,000 people 14 years and older will be enriched by the settlement, which will give them chances to become gainfully employed in the open marketplace. 

"People with disabilities deserve opportunities to work alongside their friends, peers and neighbors without disabilities and to earn fair wages,"Vanita Gupta, the head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, said in a news release.