The Quality of Life of Rural High School Special Education Graduates: A Follow-Up Study.

Two years after graduation, a mail survey investigated the quality of life of rural high school graduates who had been placed in special education programs for mild mental retardation or a learning disability. The Quality of Life Questionnaire was completed by 12 such individuals and by 40 graduates who were not mentally retarded or learning disabled and who had received services only in regular education programs. Quality-of-life scores were significantly lower for students who had been in special education programs than for students from general education programs. The major differences between the two groups appeared to be in the areas of general well-being, occupational activity, and leisure and recreational activity. The areas of interpersonal relations and organizational activity showed no significant differences. The graduates of special education placements scored higher than the graduates of regular education placements in the area of altruistic behavior. A second questionnaire determined that within the special education group, those who had received services for a learning disability had significantly higher quality-of-life scores than those who had received services for a mental impairment. (Author/TD)