Transition from School to Work for Individuals with Severe Handicaps: A Follow-Up Study

The present study assessed the employment status of 117 transition age young adults with moderate, severe, or profound mental retardation in Virginia. Data were collected by trained interviewers on variables related to employment level, wages earned, types of jobs, assistance available in job identification, and so forth. The findings of this study indicated high unemployment rates of almost 88%, with only 14 of the 117 persons holding competitive jobs in nonsheltered work environments. Wage accumulation was very limited. Implications of these results and other similar studies for future programming are then discussed.