Social and professional integration of young adults with a mental handicap after leaving a specialised institution
Keywords:
mental handicap, integration, follow-upAbstract
This article presents the results of a study on the social and professional integration of young adults five to ten years after they have left an 'Institut Médico Professionnel' (Medical Professional Institution) (IMPro). After a brief presentation of the context and the method used, we show that, despite a high percentage of employment, social integration and access to autonomy remain problematic for many of them. Moreover, quantitative and interview analyses demonstrate that employment in a regular context or in sheltered surroundings corresponds to different modes of socialisation and contributes to the creation of a social identity. The issue of the relationship with the handicap proves to be decisive.