National estimates of vocational service utilization and job placement rates for adults with mental retardation.

Data from the 1994 and 1995 Disability Supplements of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were used to estimate rates of utilization of vocational services and examine employment outcomes for adults with disabilities who have received vocational services. Those living outside the formal long-term care system, and who were self or proxy identified as having mental retardation, were compared with other adults with disabilities. Analyses suggest that compared to other working-age persons with disabilities, adults with mental retardation (a) have a different population profile, (b) receive different types of services, (c) experience similar levels of satisfaction, (d) have much lower rates of competitive employment, and (e) are much more likely to be employed in segregated work settings. Research and policy implications of findings are discussed.