by requirements for the degree of (Education) - NCRTM

vocational potential. Many of the mentally
maximum
have not had adequate counseling and training
retarded
their development of social skills and independence
in
the performance of activities of daily living in
in
the community.
These special studies should contribute to the development of occupational
adjustment Programs by focusing on the extent to which the professionals
involved are encouraging flexibility and the tailoring of pr.ograms to
meet individuals needs.
The Ad Hoc Committe further recommended:
DVR, the Bureau for Handicapped Children and
...that
agencies in cooperation with institutions of
other
learning work together to develop and utilize
higher
computerized data processing and retrieval system
a
will provide accurate up-to-date information
that
mentally retarded clients served by these .agen-
about
An efficient information retrieval system
cies.
in services' being rendered that are
will...result
timely and more precisely related to client needs.
more
system would also promote comprehensiveness and
The
of services and stimulate applied research,
continuity
evaluation and better 10ng r .ange planning to
program
the gaps in services...Research in the field of
fill
is as yet largely uncoordinated (State-
retardation
Planning for Vocational Rehabilitation, 1967,
wide
p.
16).
The problems in gathering data for this present study attest to the
need for an efficient information retrieval system organized to permit
all .agencies concerned with retardation Programming to collect and exch .ange
basic information. A major problem encountered in acquiring data for this
study was that names on file at the.. Division for Handicapped Children could
not be used to obtain computerized information from the Division of Voca-
tional Rehabilitation on referrals received and individual services pro-
vided. Without the DVR client number, no information could be retrieved.
This necessitated a long and clumsy process of comparing by hand the DHC
list of student names with a DVR printout of all MR's served (within a
93