Accommodation of Adults who are Mentally Retarded in Community Colleges: A National Study

Abstract

Two hundred community colleges across the nation were surveyed concerning programs for persons who are mentally retarded. From the 136 surveys returned it was discovered that students who are mentally retarded are present on more than 11/2 of the community college campuses. Programs for students who are mentally retarded range from those designed specifically for them to others that have been adapted to accommodate their special learning needs. Most of the respondents (73.5%) indicated that they believed they had a legitimate role in providing services to persons with mental retardation. However, funding limitations and worries about supplanting traditional services were mentioned frequently as restraints to fulfilling the roles they had adopted.

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