Sheltered work programs for the handicapped in five European countries (Denmark, Sweden, Poland, West Germany, and The Netherlands) are described in this paper. Basic features of the programs in each country are discussed, including population, financing, and aspects of the programs that can be applied in helping America improve employment programs in workshops. Key points raised are these: (1) The role, functions, and responsibilities of the workshop as an employer of the disabled are different from those of the workshop as a provider of services to the disabled, and (2) once sheltered workshops assume the role of employers of the disabled, they assume a number of responsibilities for the workers they employ, which are the same as those of employers in the competitive labor market and include such things as payment of adequate wages, provision of adequate machinery and technology for performing work, meeting occupational safety and health standards, providing for worker satisfaction and morale, and providing workers with a voice in management. A comment on the paper (by Dennis J. Dunn) is appended which includes a discussion of employment and rehabilitation services in Poland. (TA)