Michael Rule is 44 years old, a passionate West Coast Eagles fan and an avid collector of the team's memorabilia, he loves swimming and going out for dinner with his friends.

Key points: Disability service provider Activ Foundation is withdrawing from the remote WA town of Esperance, leaving 17 people with a disability unemployed

Disability service provider Activ Foundation is withdrawing from the remote WA town of Esperance, leaving 17 people with a disability unemployed Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data states only 48 per cent of people with a disability are employed

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data states only 48 per cent of people with a disability are employed People With Disabilities Australia want people working directly for businesses rather than in group employment

But what he loves most is going to work.

Three days a week he would put on his lawn mowing safety gear, catch the bus provided by his employer, and work around the small town of Esperance on Western Australia's south coast.

Mr Rule has down syndrome and has worked for disability employment provider Activ Foundation in a group employment program since he left school 28 years ago.

Last month, Activ announced it was withdrawing all its services from Esperance after more than 40 years, leaving Mr Rule and 16 other people with a disability out of a job.

Families left 'devastated'

When Mr Rule was in his final years of school, it was a great comfort to parents Paddy and Elaine that their son had somewhere to work like other young people his age.

Paddy and Michael Rule look back at photos from when Michael first started working at Activ. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Madison Snow )

Paddy said they were devastated at Activ's decision to close the employment program because Michael's job "means everything to him".

"He works three days a week, seven hours a day, and he's out of bed at quarter past six every morning, had his breakfast and waiting for that bus to pick him up," he said.

"He really gets a lot of enjoyment out of it.

"It's a shame that it's come to this. We are still dumbfounded about what happened."

Paddy said Activ's decision was disruptive for Michael.

"In Michael's case, if we change his environment it takes a lot to get him back on track," he said.

Michael Rule has been working for Activ for 28 years and is now out of a job due to the closure. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Madison Snow )

"He's a little bit bewildered about what's going on.

"All he wants to do is go and work his three days and see his friends."

No 'single reason' for closure

Paddy Rule said he was only given five weeks notice about the closure of the group employment services.

He said at a meeting for Activ clients in January, an Activ spokeswoman told them the Esperance operation "wasn't financially viable".

Activ chief executive Danielle Newport denied the statement was made and said "it's not the reason we're ceasing operations".

"A significant decision like this is a really complex one and I can't attribute it to a single reason," Ms Newport said.

"After our most recent review of Esperance we've come to the decision that there are other organisations that can deliver better quality outcomes for customers."

In Esperance, Activ ran an accommodation unit for people with a disability, plus social activities in buildings bought by fundraising from the community.

They were the only group employment services for people with a disability provider in Esperance, home to about 14,000 people.

Paddy Rule and his son Michael Rule together in Michael's room admiring the West Coast Eagles memorabilia he collects. ( ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Madison Snow )

It included a document shredding and cleaning business, and a lawn mowing business where Mr Rule worked on whipper snipper duties.

Last financial year, Activ had an income of $103.5 million, of which $83.5 million came from State and Federal government funding.

Guardians concerned about future job prospects

Job prospects for people with a disability are grim.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, only 48 per cent of people with a disability are employed, compared to 79 per cent of people without a disability.

That figure drops down to 22 per cent for people with profound disability.

Cheryl Hoffman is the guardian of her aunt, Trish Anderson, who also worked at Activ.

Trish was born with an intellectual disability and has difficulty with verbal communication.

Ms Hoffman said she believed it would be impossible for Trish to find work in a mainstream business.

"Trish has been working at Activ for over 30 years," Ms Hoffman said.

"She went straight there from school because there were no other opportunities for her in Esperance with her disability."

Trish works in Activ's shredding business, which collects documents from businesses around town and shreds them.

Ms Hoffmann said working has made Trish feel included in her community.

"She's always been one to show us all her pay packet and it's like 'this is because I'm at work, just like you. I get a pay packet just like you do'.

Tina Foster, Trish's sister and primary carer, Trish Anderson and her niece Cheryl Hoffman. ( Supplied: Cheryl Hoffman )

"It gives her knowledge that she's the same as everybody else."

Ms Hoffman said she understood Activ may have legitimate reasons to withdraw their services from Esperance, but can not grasp why they gave such short notice.

"You cannot come in and wipe out all of those years of service in such a short time span and leave everybody wallowing if you're really interested in helping a disabled person," Ms Hoffman said.

"It takes months to change around and get new services.

"It was very uncaring and not in the best interest of anybody at Activ."

Activ CEO Danielle Newport said they gave customers, families, and staff as much notice as they could.

"We employ 1,000 people living with disability in our employment programs and the vast majority of those are still in a group setting," Ms Newport said.

NDIS could impact disability service delivery

Ms Newport said the NDIS had not impacted how Activ deliver services, but it did not rule out changes in the future.

"What we are seeing with the introduction of the NDIS is individuals being able to tailor their employment support closely to their individual goals," she said.

Michael Rule at age 17, just one year after he started working at Activ Foundation. ( Supplied: Paddy Rule )

People With Disabilities Australia (PWD) say about 20,000 people nationwide work in similar employment programs known as Australian Disability Enterprises (ADE).

PWD spokeswoman Samantha French said they want more people with a disability working directly for businesses, rather than in ADEs.

"Those working in ADEs should be paid more fairly for the work they do," Ms French said.

ADEs do not pay employees a full wage. Employees are paid a pro rata wage based on an assessment of their productivity.

But ADEs are also given funding from the Australian Government for each person they employ, and most ADE employees receive a disability support pension.

However, Ms French said some people working in ADEs were paid as little as one dollar an hour and she wants more opportunity for people with a disability to work outside group employment programs.

"We don't consider a dollar an hour a liveable wage," she said.

"Those people should have the right and the opportunity to work in mainstream employment, with the right support that they need."

Ms French acknowledged in rural and remote regions such as Esperance, getting people with a disability into employment is difficult.

Meanwhile, parents and guardians of people who worked in Activ's employment program are talking with another disability provider to get another group employment arrangement in place.