Supported employment for persons with severe and profound mental retardation: a critical analysis

An analysis of the employment outcomes of 109 persons with severe profound mental retardation was undertaken. The mean age of the group was 28 years and mean intelligence quotient (Stanford-Binet) was 30. The data were drawn from over 90 local community programmes in the United States. Results indicated that all persons were in supervised residential situations and that 93% of the total were competitively employed with the mean wage being $3.63 per hour. Mean hours of weekly employment were 22 hours. After 12 months of placement, 81.5% of the clients were still employed. Supported employment has provided new work opportunities for a group of people long reviewed as permanently unemployable.