Community Adjustment of Young Adults with Mental Retardation: A Developmental Perspective

Authors

Richard F. Ittenbach, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Sheryl A. Larson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Amy N. Spiegel, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Brian H. Abery, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Robert W. Prouty, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

1993

Citation

Published in Palaestra 9:4 (1993), pp. 19–24.

Comments

Copyright © 1993 Sagamore Publishing. Used by permission.

Abstract

The community adjustment of young adults with mental retardation remains a crucial issue for all human service providers. No longer does adjustment imply simply the physical integration of persons with disabilities into community settings. Rather, it refers to the adjustment and integration of the whole person into community life. Whether one describes community adjustment as a process, an outcome, a philosophy, or a multidimensional concept (Bachrach, 1981), community adjustment has become synonymous with the term quality-of-life, a quality that depends in large part on one’s happiness and success in socially sanctioned, age-appropriate tasks.