Abstract:

This paper reports on a study which compared the expressed satisfaction of individuals in a residential institution with that of individuals who had moved from the institution into community accommodation. Satisfaction was measured in terms of how they lived, worked and relaxed. In particular, the participants were asked for their opinions on residential placement, work environment, interpersonal relationships, financial status and how they felt about themselves, their leisure activities and hopes for the future. Subjects were 31 adults with mild intellectual disabilities, as indicated by intelligence test scores. Sixteen were living at a residential institution and fifteen were living in the community. A questionnaire was developed from the Satisfaction Questionnaire of Seltzer and Seltzer's (1978) Community Adjustment Scale. Results presented focus on the residential satisfaction parts of the questionnaire.