Full participation is recognized as fundamental for the inclusion and wellbeing of people with intellectual disabilities. Only few studies have identified subjective meanings of participation from the perspective of people with intellectual disabilities themselves. Three cross-cutting themes that arise in the few studies that have are…

This study looks at the career choices of early adult girls with intellectual disability. Trade of vocation refers to the types of vocational environment and location i.e., open employment, sheltered employment and home-based employment. The present study aims to investigate the preferred trade of vocation for early adulthood girls with…

A procedure to effectively and efficiently train moderately and severely retarded individuals to make fine visual discriminations is described. Results suggest that expectancies for such individuals are in need of examination. Implications for sheltered workshops, work activity centers and classrooms are discussed. [This article appeared…

This report describes the post-high school educational and occupational activities for 66 young adults with autism spectrum disorders who had recently exited the secondary school system. Analyses indicated low rates of employment in the community, with the majority of young adults (56%) spending time in sheltered workshops or day activity centers.…

Recent efforts have been made to transform traditional sheltered workshop employment to transitional employment training in nonsheltered sites for mentally retarded young adults and adults. Benefits (both monetary and nonmonetary) to the individual, employer, and society are described. Disincentives in the financial system are cited as creating a…

A multiple-component strategy was investigated for aiding staff responsible for supervising production of 16 lower-functioning retarded clients (ages 20 to 53) on contract tasks in an institution-based sheltered workshop. Production performance increased during the production supervisory strategy with all 16 clients, with the range of increase…

While supported employment has made significant gains since its formal introduction in 1984 (P. L. 98-527), segregated services continue to outpace the growth of supported employment. We discuss these and other important trends in this article, and conclude with recommendations that include (1) ensuring that all young adults leave high school…

The case study of a young male adult with moderate to severe handicapping conditions used naturalistic inquiry procedures including interviews and observations of home, community, and employment settings. Decisions had been influenced by personal and cultural values of the participants and reflected a lack of informed choices, miscommunication,…

The follow-up study of 58 persons with severe mental retardation who had exited self-contained special education programs from 1983 to 1985 found 57 percent were placed in sheltered workshops or day activity centers, 15 percent received formal postsecondary training, 62 percent resided in their family homes, and 26 percent lived in group homes.…

Analysis of a questionnaire completed by 44 young adults with intellectual disabilities and 29 nondisabled peers found that (1) both groups preferred competitive employment to unemployment; (2) those with intellectual disabilities had lower psychological well-being; (3) those with intellectual disabilities in competitive employment had greater job…

Iowa high school graduates (n=322) with mental disabilities were interviewed one and three years after graduation, concerning general status, employment, and adult adjustment. Over the postgraduation period, subjects became more independent in living arrangements and increased the number of hours per week of employment, but only approximately 20%…

Qualitative research was used to examine transition experiences of 9 young adults with severe disabilities during their last year of high school along with their parents and professionals. Students were remarkably articulate about plans following graduation but had few opportunities to fulfill them meaningfully. Differing perspectives of parents…