1983 — Report to the President: The Mentally Retarded Worker an Economic Di$covery

Executive Summary

The goal of this year's report is to increase the awareness of the private sector to the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of mentally retarded people who are employable but are unemployed because of misconceptions about their abilities to meet and maintain employment standards. These misconceptions held by some employers, placement officers, trainers and parents may lead to a life of underachievement, idleness and public dependency. Yet the overwhelming evidence shows that mentally retarded persons can productive members of the nation’s workforce and quite often are considered preferred workers.

The report dispels these myths and encourages employment. Its objective is to educate the private sector, while providing continued guidance to the traditional audience of students, parents, advocates, mental retardation professionals and the general population.

The first section introduces the subject, discusses retardation and describes why the mentally retarded worker is an economic discovery.

By presenting a series of misconceptions of employers, section two delineates major obstacles faced by mentally retarded persons who attempt to secure employment. These misconceptions are countered by actual testimony from employers who have profited from hiring people who are mentally retarded.

Section three identifies training and employment issues and recommends changes for the 80's. Guidelines are offered to employers, trainers, parents of mentally retarded persons and policymakers.

The final section presents an optimistic look at the future in terms of job opportunities for all citizens.