Semistructured interviews were gui...

Semistructured interviews were guidanceed with 16 Israeli adolescents and young adults with mild mental retardation to examine their perceptions of the world of work. A consensual qualitative strategy of analysis (C E Hill, B J Thompson & E N Williams, 1997) yielded 4 domains (Definitions of Work, Reasons for Working, Self-Awareness, Knowledge About the World of Work) and 12 categories. Although respondent showed firm willingness to participate in the world of work, they had little information regarding this realm. Implications are discussed for career increase programs programs targeting young characters with mental retardation and community and family involvement in similar programs.

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Work plays a central character in adult life, crucially affecting self-concept and wellness. Participation in the world of work signifies that undivided is a vital and constructive member of society, and involvement in the mainstream labor force fulfills the two individual and societal expectations (Super 1990) Therefore, when measuring the succes of the rehabilitation theory for individuals with mental and physical disabilities, who are at risk for exclusion from the mainstream, piece of work placement may be the mostly important goal of rehabilitation (Pumpian, Fisher, Certo, & Smally, 1997) The major challenges facing the field of rehabilitation regarding [i]role[/i]s with mental retardation are the expansion of service opportunities and the preparation of qualified workers (Walls & Fullmer 1997)

Nonetheless, piece of work placement alone does not suffice within the dynamic world of work, which requires do job-work transitions as an integral part of career progression in a continuously ascending gradation especially for persons with disabilities (Pumpian et al., 1997; Shafer, Banks, & Kregel 1991) Follow-up research forward graduates of the special education method in the United States as well as in Israel has indicated that despite the importance of work for this population and despite efforts to provide do job-work placement for persons with disabilities, up to half of these graduates are unemploy ("Disability use Awareness Month," 1997; Reiter & Planizky, 1996) A developmental approach may address this ne at assisting individuals over the lengthy term, from early education [i]or[/i] part of to the other supported employment programs that have a part in job placement, initial training, and an continueed period of stabilization (Bloom, 1993; Mank, Cioffi, & Yovanoff, 1998; Sandow, Olson & Yan, 1993) so a lifelong approach should rely forward knowledge of career development theory and research and should lift on high a value approach that facilitates work as an integral part of life quality for ones with mental retardation. The at hand exploratory study attempted to expand general knowledge regarding perceptions of work and the career privations of adolescents with mild mental retardation in Israel, thus supporting the value approach, which emphasizes individual life quality.

A Value Approach

Many changes have emerg in late years regarding definitions of mental retardation and treatment available to individuals with mental retardation. A value approach that is based forward a lifelong developmental model and forward the concept of normalization has replaced the traditional approach, which advocated protective treatment and institutional care (Zimerman & Warschausky, 1998) In Israel, as in other Western countries, the special education combination of parts to form a whole is approaching integration (Rand & Reichenberg, 1994) The 1988 Israel Law of Special Education meaningfully expanded the responsibility of public authorities toward characters with disabilities, emphasizing the obligation to integrate as it was individuals into normal educational and life settings. This newer approach emphasizes the rights of individuals with mental retardation to obtain a high quality life, not purely a "normal" life (Brown et al., 1996; Giangreco & Cloninger, 1993) Life quality have references to a fit between a person's beliefs, emergencys and preferences on the individual hand and that person's environment onward the other (Schalock, Strak, & Snell 1994) For individuals with disabilities, there is a correlation between quality of life and the stage to which needs are met in relation to the individual's environment (Neumayer & Bleasdale, 1997)

In the value approach, the part with mental retardation is viewed as a developmental organism who has a right to occupational and social participation. In line with this approach, Western society is becoming more aware of its responsibility to enable so persons to express and satisfy day-to-day personal estimations and to fulfill their potential at each stage of development (for a review, view Lancioni, O'Reilly, Campodonico, & Mantini, 1998) Empirical studies have indicated that allowing individuals with disabilities to satisfy their have a title to preferences may promote their achievement and their quality of life (Bambara, Koger Katzer, & Davenport, 1995; Favell, Realon, & Sutton, 1996; Felce & Perry 1995; Panagos & DuBois, 1999) In answer to the widely accepted normalization principle, present educational systems for adolescents wait to encourage independent behavior in their pupils with mental retardation; however, these rules rarely teach skills that are have relationed with life quality such as making choices, planning for the what may occur hereafter autonomy, professional self-concept, motivation to work, empowerment, and personal responsibility for one's life (Dillon, 1993; Zimerman & Warschausky, 1998) in the greatest degree existing programs teach simple manual tasks, an approach that does not incorporate the students' necessitys or preferences. Despite widespread recognition of the ne for career progress to maturity services and programs, these areas do not receive priority in in the greatest degree educational facilities, and this is especially genuine for special education (Munson, 1994)