Environmental opportunities and supports for exercising self-determinationin community-based residential settings

Information was collected on the environmental opportunities for exercising self-determination among 281 adults with mental retardation receiving comm unity-based residential supports. The results indicated that: (1) the major ity of participants had little or no opportunity to exercise self-determina tion over major life decisions (e.g., with whom and where to live, the recr uitment and retention of care staff); (2) even in more mundane areas, such as where and when to cat, the majority of participants were not supported t o exercise effective control; (3) variation in environmental opportunities to exercise self-determination was strongly related to a range of factors i ncluding participant ability, previous residential history, and structural and procedural aspects of the residential supports currently provided. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.