This article utilizes ethnographic research methods to evaluate the impact of mediation on the transition outcomes of persons with mild mental retardation. The involvement of parents and the focal persons was disproportionate to that of school and agency personnel. School and agency efforts most often resulted in sheltered employment, while personal or parent mediation resulted more often in self-employment and continuing education outcomes. Strategies used by focal persons, their parents, and agencies or schools are discussed in relation to: (a) empowerment and self-determination, (b) the social dimensions of transition planning and “balanced mediation,” and (c) the Individualized Education Program meeting as a planning tool for developing balanced mediation and identification of mentor relationships.
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