Beliefs About Social Integration From the Perspectives of Persons With Mental Retardation, Job Coaches, and Employers

Abstract

Beliefs of multiple stakeholders who were all part of the same "transition community" (including persons with mental retardation, job coaches, and employers) about social integration outcomes and interventions in employment settings were examined. Data were collected through interviews and questionnaires that were designed based on a previously affirmed conceptual framework of social integration. Although results showed that stakeholders agreed on some outcomes and interventions they disagreed on others. These disagreements could be cause for concern because contrasting belief systems among stakeholders supposedly working toward the same goal might interfere with successful social integration in work settings for persons with mental retardation.