Who stays, who goes? Downsizing the institution in America's most rural state

Between 1988 and 1993, Wyoming reduced the census of its only state institution for persons with mental retardation by more than 50%, with a significant percentage occurring as a result of a class action suit in 1990. This article demonstrates the similarities between the characteristics of the individuals who left the Training School and those who remain, as well as the differences in the characteristics of those leaving during three 2-year periods--prelawsuit, transition, and postlawsuit. Descriptive data were gathered in 1988 and 1993 using the Inventory for Client and Agency Planning. Individuals left the large, residential institutional settings for less restrictive, rural placements in the community. This study updates the literature and confirms that all of the residents of the state-operated institutions can be placed into community settings even in America's most rural state.