Affiliations: University of South Carolina, School of Medicine,
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA | South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special
Needs, Columbia, SC, USA
Note: [] USC Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, 6 Richland
Medical Park, Columbia, SC 29203, USA. Tel.: +1 803 434 2556; Fax: +1 803 434
7529; E-mail: suzanne.mcdermott@palmettohealth.org
Abstract: The employment rate for 7,750 individuals with mental retardation
served by the South Carolina network of Disability and Special Needs local
Boards was 16.9% for these individuals was 28%; individuals employed during
1996 and 1997 had a job in the subsequent year. Restaurant hostess/cashier,
retail, and food preparation had the lowest rates of hiring and the lowest
rates of loss for all types of employment. The job categories with the largest
number of individuals with MR were janitor/laundry/cleaning followed by
dishwasher/bus-person. Although decisions about employment should be made based
on individual abilities, goals and desires, policymakers can adopt a strategy
for monitoring the rate of obtaining new jobs and job loss to evaluate the
performance of local employment support providers.
