One of the major goals in the education and training of individuals with special needs is to prepare them for independence. However, in the Malaysian context, parents who have special adolescents are in doubt as to what would be the future of their children soon after they have finished the vocational training. This case study explores the…

Personal interviews and agency records were used to examine month-by-month vocational histories of 53 sheltered workshop employees placed in competitive jobs. Most participants who were still employed after four to five years had parental support, while those who returned to the workshop or were unemployed did not. (Author/CL)

The manual describes the Focus Expanded Placement Process, an approach to implementing training programs in sheltered work centers. Trainers are offered solutions to common problems, with sections on the following topics: breaking down initial resistance to training; individualizing training; creating a learning atmosphere; making training…

This paper refutes criticism about industrial workshops for individuals with blindness and argues that they are a suitable vocational option that is often underutilized. The paper explores the role of the sheltered workshop as a continuum for multihandicapped blind persons, employment experience for teenagers, opportunity for older individuals,…

Redefinition of placement to include not only competitive employment but sheltered and volunteer employment as well as training on the job setting can increase the probability of success for head-injured adults. Preplacement preparation and placement selectivity can increase the chances for placement success as illustrated in two case histories.…

The study investigated vocational activities of 274 English young people between the ages of 15 and 21. Two-thirds entered occupational centers for disabled adults; only 5% found a job in open employment. The physically impaired experienced a more difficult transition but the mentally impaired faced a more limited range of vocational choices.…

The validity of the Vocational Adaptation Rating Scale (VARS) for predicting placement of 125 mentally retarded workers in sheltered workshop settings was investigated. Results indicated low to moderate significant partial correlations with concurrent placement and one year follow-up placement (controlling IQ, age, and sex). (Author)

A job training program in rural Wyoming is described in which 86 percent of the disabled clients served in a two-year period (N=57) were placed in employment after receiving sheltered workshop training in one of 10 vocational training modules. Among data reported are wages, success rates for training, and length of training. (JW)

This fact sheet reports data from a national survey of state mental retardation/developmental disabilities (MR/DD) agencies. The survey was designed to investigate the distribution of people supported by state MR/DD agencies in integrated versus facility-based day and employment services and the levels of funding. Results indicate that while the…

The manual describes the vocational rehabilitation program and services for handicapped individuals that are provided by Goodwill Industries of North Central Pennsylvania, Inc., which services an eight-county outreach area. An introductory section provides general background information regarding program objectives, philosophy, and organizational…

Describes the program of the Occupational Training Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. (SB)

This fact sheet summarizes data on integrated employment (supported and competitive) and facility-based employment activities (sheltered workshops) from two national surveys of community rehabilitation providers (CRPs). The 1986 survey used a random sample of 952 CRPs from all states, while the 1991 survey used a stratified sample of 643 CRPs from…

Describes the job worksite program developed by Altro Workshops, Inc., Bronx, New York, to serve as an intermediate step between the protected vocational training workshop and the unprotected work world. Psychiatric clients of the workshop selected for the program were placed in facility-supervised or company-supervised jobs with generally good…

Employers (N=1,369) on the Navajo reservation were identified, and a subgroup (N=122) participated in an Employer Account System (EAS) to provide detailed information about types of jobs available at their organizations. In addition, 239 closed client case files from the Navajo Vocational Rehabilitation Program (NVRP) were reviewed to determine…