Transition from School to Work: A Handbook for the Mentally Handicapped

ADRIAN KNIEL

TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO WORK

A HANDBOOK FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS OF MENTALLY
HANDICAPPED ADOLESCENTS IN GHANA

ADRIAN KNIEL

TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO WORK

A HANDBOOK FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS
OF MENTALLY HANDICAPPED ADOLESCENTS
IN GHANA

UNIVERSITY OF WINNEBA

DRUCKEREI

CONTENT

I. PREFACE ..........................................................................................5
1.1. A new concept of transition .....................................................5
1.2. Decent work as the goal of transition ......................................6
1.3. Gender roles and work in Ghana ..............................................7
1.4. A word of thanks .....................................................................8

II. INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................9
2.1. Opportunities, abilities and interests .....................................10
2.2. A stepwise approach .............................................................11

III. THE PRESENT SITUATION OF SCHOOL LEAVERS .........................12
3.1. The situation of handicapped and non handicapped school
leavers is comparable .....................................................................14
3.2. Employment related Legislation and Disability ......................14

IV. THE PROCESS OF TRANSITION ....................................................17
4.1. School Learning .....................................................................17
4.2. Transition planning ................................................................19
4.3. How to analyze job opportunities ..........................................21
4.4. Vocational assessment ..........................................................23
4.5. Assessing vocational interest ................................................24
4.6. Assessing abilities .................................................................26
4.7. Job Analysis ...........................................................................31
4.8. Job matching .........................................................................33

V. AN ANALYSIS OF VOCATIONAL OPTIONS FOR MENTALLY
HANDICAPPED SCHOOL LEAVERS ......................................................37
5.1. ANIMAL REARING ..................................................................40
5.1.1. Animal manure maker ...................................................41
5.1.2. Beekeeping assistant ....................................................43
5.1.3. Feed attendant ..............................................................45
5.1.4. Fisherman’s assistant ...................................................47
5.1.5. Helper in grass cutter rearing .......................................49
5.1.6. Herdsman’s helper ........................................................51
5.1.7. Poultry feeder ...............................................................53
5.1.8. Rabbit rearing helper ....................................................55
5.1.9. Snail raising helper .......................................................58
5.1.10. Tilapia raising assistant ................................................60

5.2. CROP FARMING ..................................................................... 62
5.2.1. Citrus orchard assistant ............................................... 63
5.2.2. Cocoa farmer’s assistant .............................................. 65
5.2.3. Cotton farming assistant .............................................. 67
5.2.4. Flower garden helper ................................................... 69
5.2.5. Garden eggs farming assistant ..................................... 71
5.2.6. Mushroom farming helper ............................................ 74
5.2.7. Okro farmer’s helper .................................................... 76
5.2.8. Onion farming assistant ............................................... 78
5.2.9. Pepper farming assistant ............................................. 81
5.2.10. Potato farming assistant .............................................. 84
5.2.11. Shallot farming assistant ............................................. 86
5.2.12. Tomato farmer’s assistant ............................................ 88

5.3. CRAFTS INVOLVING HEAVY PHYSICAL LABOUR .................... 92
5.3.1. Blacksmith’s helper ...................................................... 93
5.3.2. Block maker’s assistant ................................................ 95
5.3.3. Chain saw operator’s assistant ..................................... 97
5.3.4. Charcoal burner’s assistant .......................................... 99
5.3.5. Firewood splitter’s assistant ...................................... 101
5.3.6. Salt mining assistant .................................................. 103
5.3.7. Vulcanizer’s assistant ................................................. 105

5.4. CRAFTS INVOLVING LIGHT PHYSICAL LABOUR ................... 107
5.4.1. Batik maker’s assistant .............................................. 108
5.4.2. Bead maker’s helper ................................................... 111
5.4.3. Body pomade maker’s helper ..................................... 113
5.4.4. Book binding assistant ............................................... 115
5.4.5. Broom maker’s helper ................................................ 117
5.4.6. Calabash maker’s helper ............................................ 119
5.4.7. Carver’s helper ........................................................... 121
5.4.8. Chew stick maker’s assistant ..................................... 123
5.4.9. Door mat weaver’s helper .......................................... 125
5.4.10. Dressmaker’s helper .................................................. 127
5.4.11. Envelope maker’s helper ............................................ 129
5.4.12. Leather bag maker’s helper ........................................ 131
5.4.13. Mat weaver’s helper ................................................... 133
5.4.14. Paper flower maker’s helper ...................................... 135
5.4.15. Polythene bag maker’s helper .................................... 137
5.4.16. Pure water bag packer ............................................... 139
5.4.17. Rope maker’s assistant .............................................. 141
5.4.18. Shea butter extractor’s helper .................................... 144
5.4.19. Soap maker’s helper ................................................... 147
5.4.20. Thatch weaver’s helper .............................................. 149
5.4.21. Yarn spinning assistant .............................................. 151

5.5. FOOD PREPARATION AND PROCESSING ..............................153
5.5.1. Bean cake preparation helper .....................................154
5.5.2. Biscuit baker’s assistant .............................................157
5.5.3. Blackberry drink seller’s assistant ..............................160
5.5.4. Coconut flour preparation helper ................................162
5.5.5. Coconut seller’s helper ...............................................164
5.5.6. Corn dough preparation assistant ...............................166
5.5.7. Corn mill assistant ......................................................169
5.5.8. Fish descaler’s helper .................................................171
5.5.9. Fish smoking assistant ................................................173
5.5.10. Groundnut paste maker’s helper .................................176
5.5.11. Groundnut chips ‘Kulikuli’ preparation helper .............179
5.5.12. Kenkey seller’s helper .................................................181
5.5.13. Local corn drinks preparation helper ..........................184
5.5.14. Palm oil preparation helper .........................................187
5.5.15. Palm wine tapper’s assistant ......................................190
5.5.16. Pito brewing assistant ................................................192
5.5.17. Plantain griller’s helper ...............................................194
5.5.18. Porridge making assistant ..........................................196
5.5.19. Soya bean kebab seller’s helper ..................................198
5.5.20. Tea seller’s helping hand ............................................201

5.6. SERVICES AND COMMERCE ..................................................203
5.6.1. Bookman’s assistant ...................................................204
5.6.2. Car washer’s assistant ................................................206
5.6.3. Chop bar assistant ......................................................208
5.6.4. Clothes washer’s assistant ..........................................210
5.6.5. Cobbler’s helper ..........................................................212
5.6.6. Cocoa bean dryer’s assistant ......................................214
5.6.7. Female house helper ...................................................216
5.6.8. Garden boy .................................................................219
5.6.9. Hairdresser’s assistant ...............................................221
5.6.10. Houseboy ....................................................................224
5.6.11. Refuse collector’s helper .............................................226
5.6.12. Sales assistant ............................................................228
5.6.13. Second hand shoe seller’s helper ................................230
5.6.14. Ward assistant ............................................................232

VI. ORGANIZING TRANSITION AND SUPPORT ................................234
6.1. Transition Team ...................................................................234
6.2. Information needed .............................................................235
6.3. Results and discussion ........................................................236

VII. AN OUTLINE OF PRE-VOCATIONAL TRAINING ......................... 240
7.1. An analysis of basic vocational skills .................................. 240
7.2. Prerequisite skills in animal rearing .................................... 243
7.3. Prerequisite skills in crop farming ...................................... 244
7.4. Prerequisite skills in crafts: light or heavy physical labor ... 245
7.6. Prerequisite skills in food preparation and processing ........ 247
7.7. Prerequisite skills in services and commerce ...................... 248
7.8. The school curriculum and prerequisite skills for vocations 249
VIII. AN OUTLINE OF A PREVOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM ..... 251
8.1. Task skills common to all vocational areas ......................... 251
8.2. Criteria for selecting pre-vocational activities in the Ghanaian
setting ......................................................................................... 253
8.3. Time Frame ......................................................................... 257
8.4. School based vocational project phase ............................... 257
8.5. Job shadowing program ...................................................... 258
8.6. Onsite training program ...................................................... 258

IX. A FINAL WORD .......................................................................... 261

X. ANNEXE ...................................................................................... 262
10.1. WINNEBA VOCATIONAL READINESS SCALE (WVRS) ........... 262
10.2. WINNEBA SUPPORT NEEDS CHECKLIST .............................. 263
10.3. WINNEBA ACTIVITY LIST OF FAMILY MEMBERS (WALFM) .. 264

XI. REFERENCES ............................................................................. 266

PREFACE
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I. PREFACE

Schools for the Mentally Retarded have been burdened with adult “pupils” for
many years. Since teachers of pupils with a mental handicap not only feel
responsible for their schooling but also for their future life, the tendency was
to keep these persons in a school setting as long as possible. This “solution” is
due to a misunderstanding of the process of transition from school to work and
a lack of confrontation with the realities of economic life and the social
organization of families and communities in Ghana.
The aim of some schools was to start production of food or other saleable
articles, ignoring the fact that none of the teachers were trained craftsmen or
had much business experience. Also, the prerequisites for successful
marketing, such as market analysis, advertising goods and services, favorable
location of the production site, etc. were often absent.
Other establishments guided by the traditional training and rehabilitation
approach aimed at teaching their wards a skill (usually batik, basket or
envelope making, farming etc.) with the goal of achieving such a level of
competence that they could survive economic competition after graduation.
High hopes were also placed in government laws and regulations that would
oblige employers in Ghana to hire mentally retarded persons for the few
salaried jobs available – though the majority of Ghanaians works in the
informal sector.

1.1. A new concept of transition

This handbook attempts a radical departure from these strategies which have
failed in the past and attempts to outline a concept which takes into account
the realities of Ghanaian society.

This includes:
• Focusing on the role of the family as the primary source of self-
employment in Ghanaian economy

• Guiding the process of (individualized) transition from school to work in
describing the basic elements of each step in simple terms

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PREFACE
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• Presenting informal tools for assessing work readiness and support
needs of adolescents with mental retardation in order to judge the
likelihood that they will be successful at a given job

• Listing in detail a large number of vocational activities common to
Ghanaian economy that can be mastered to different degrees by
persons with mental retardation depending on their individual skill level

• And finally describing what basic skills are the necessary foundations for
a large number of jobs and should be trained at the prevocational level
in school.

1.2. Decent work as the goal of transition

The term “job” and “employment” will be used in this handbook in the sense of
productive activity which includes self-employment and family labor as jobs for
persons with disabilities. Presently, these will be found predominantly in the
informal sector which does not exclude hiring persons with intellectual
disabilities in the formal sector. For example, a hospital could hire such a
person as a ward cleaner; or a senior secondary school could hire someone for
gardening, maintenance work etc.
Thirty five years ago, in 1971, the UN General Assembly proclaimed a
Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons. The Declaration
affirmed that mentally retarded persons had the same rights as everyone else.
Specifically, they had a right to such education, training, rehabilitation and
guidance that would enable them to develop their ability and maximum
potential; a right to economic security and a decent standard of living; a right
to perform productive work or to engage in any other meaningful occupation
to the fullest possible extent of their capabilities.
This idea was taken up again in the Standard Rules on the Equalization of
Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities that were adopted by the United
Nations General Assembly on 20 December 1993. There are 22 rules, ranging
from awareness-raising to international cooperation. Employment is covered
by Rule 7: ‘States should recognize the principle that persons with disabilities
must be empowered to exercise their human rights, particularly in the field of
employment. In both rural and urban areas, they must have equal
opportunities for productive and gainful employment in the labor market.

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PREFACE
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In recent years, the concept of “decent work” has been propagated by the
International Labor Organization (ILO). In the Decent Work Report of Mr. Juan
Somavia, ILO Director-General, at the 87th session of the International Labour
Conference (1999) he defined this term as follows: "Decent work means
productive work in which rights are protected, which generates an adequate
income, with adequate social protection. It also means sufficient work, in the
sense that all should have full access to income-earning opportunities. It
marks the high road to economic and social development, a road in which
employment, income and social protection can be achieved without
1
compromising workers' rights and social standards.”

Thus, the right to decent work has three right’s dimensions:

• the right to work,
• rights in work
• and the right to adequate social protection.

The right to decent work is not confined to wage employment, but extends to
self-employment, home working and other income-generating activities. This
is why we have decided to call the benefits a person with a mental handicap
gets in the informal sector or a family business his “take home share”. The
fact that the person does not receive a steady wage and must be satisfied by a
share of the profits an economical activity applies to most family businesses
and activities in the informal sector. Very often this “take home share” is
limited to food, lodgings and some clothing from time to time. This does not
only apply to persons with an intellectual disability but seems a general
characteristic of work in the informal sector which dominates Ghana economy.

1.3. Gender roles and work in Ghana

Many of the simple jobs described in this handbook are still gender bound.
Blacksmithing or being a butcher, a musician, a palm oil extractor or pito
brewer is customarily done either by men or women. Though most jobs will be
open to both sexes in the future, in this handbook we stick to realities at the
beginning of the millennium.

1
http://www.awid.org/go.php?pg=ilo

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PREFACE
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In order to make reading less cumbersome I have also avoided the “politically
correct” option of writing him or her him or her and himself/herself at every
occasion where the designated person could be either female or male. Where a
job is customarily performed by women I have opted for “she” in the cases of
vocations usually taken by me I use “he”. I hope the reader will excuse this
procedure.

1.4. A word of thanks

This handbook could not have been prepared without the help of three
generations of students of the Education of the Mentally Handicapped unit at
the Special Education Department of the University of Education, Winneba
(graduation years 2004, 2005 and 2006). Following guidelines, they analyzed
the tasks that comprise the helper jobs described in the chapter “An analysis
of vocational options for mentally handicapped school leavers”.
I would like to thank all of these students for their contribution and hope that
the handbook will be useful for practicing teachers of mentally handicapped
persons.
Christiane Kniel-Jurka, Sandy Weiler, Comfort Ahamenyo and Shadrack Majisi
read through and commented on the draft version of this handbook. I would
also like to thank them for their ideas and support.
The intention of this handbook can be summed up in two proverbs, one from
the African and one from the European tradition:

It takes a whole village to raise a child

an African thought which means that everyone in a community needs to
participate in the education of a child so that it fits into society. The Latin
proverb

Non scholae sed vitae discimus

tells us that we learn not for school but for life.

It is with these thoughts in mind that the handbook has been written

Winneba November 2006 Adrian Kniel

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INTRODUCTION
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II. INTRODUCTION

Every parent and teacher hopes for a bright future for the children entrusted
to them and worries about what type of work they can do to survive after
leaving school.
In Ghana the majority of school leavers - be they handicapped or non
handicapped - earn their living in the informal sector, which means that there
is no formal employment contract, no health benefits or social security
payments and their earnings fluctuate from day to day. The Ghana
Demographic and Health Survey 1998 (Ghana Statistical Service, 1999, 19-
23) shows for example that three quarters of all working women are self-
employed and that the majority earns cash. Others work seasonally or
occasionally. Those 10 percent of women who work for a relative in the
majority of cases do not receive cash for their work. Very often a young
person contributes with his work to the survival of the family as a unit but the
majority of income is contributed by the parents or other relatives.
According to recent estimates, 60% of the labor force is working in agriculture,
15% in industry, and 25% are occupied in services. We can expect a similar
distribution of work areas if we consider the transition from school to work for
adolescents with mental retardation.
In addition, as the unemployment rate in Ghana estimated for 2001 is
presently at 20% of the workforce, we can also assume that about one fifth of
all mentally handicapped persons of working age would not find a job.2

2
Information about youth unemployment and the informal sector in sub Saharan
Africa can be found in African Economic Outlook2004/2005, Chant & Jones
(2005), Economic Commission for Africa (2002), EFA Global Monitoring Report
2996), Fluitman 2001), United Nations Office for West Africa 2005), Xaba, Horn &
Motala (2002). The location of these documents in the internet can be found in
the References at the end of this handbook.

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INTRODUCTION
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2.1. Opportunities, abilities and interests

In any country of the world, what a person does depends on three factors:

OPPORTUNITIES

INTERESTS ABILITIES

In the case of Ghana opportunities depend to a large extent on the
individual’s situation.
• Whether the person lives in an urban or rural environment. Obviously
farming is a more common occupation in a rural environment, whereas
services, manufacturing and trading dominate in an urban setting.
• On the geographical location of the persons residence. Fishing and fish
smoking is more frequent on the coast, whereas herding cattle is more
likely to be a means of earning a living in the north.
• And finally the financial means of the family are an important factor. If
the father owns a cocoa farm, the son can work in this occupation. If the
mother has the capital to start up a small shop, the daughter can sell
there, etc.

Interests are obviously influenced by experiences the person has made. A
person who grows up in a setting where small animals are raised will often
develop an interest for this activity but is very unlikely to have the desire to
become a fisherman. Usually young people tend to become interested in
activities in which they do well and where they are successful. One of the
goals of educating children with a mental disability is to offer them many
opportunities to increase the number of their interests, so that choice and self
determination will be possible when it is time to look for work.

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INTRODUCTION
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Abilities also determine the type of work a young person will eventually
perform. We have developed a scale that measures different competence
levels that are necessary for most simple jobs available in the Ghanaian
environment. The scale also includes physical strength and agility, motivation
and work behavior, orientation and travel and functional academics among
other skill areas.

2.2. A stepwise approach

In this handbook we use a stepwise procedure to analyze the elements that
need to be considered and shaped in placing a person with a mental disability
on the job market. Our approach differs from the usual procedure, for example
in a National Vocational Training Institute or a Rehabilitation Centre where a
person is trained in an activity up to a certain level of competence and then
left to go out, to search for work or set up his own business. The basic idea of
this former strategy can be described as

TRAINING LEADS TO JOB

As we will show however, this has not been very successful with youths with a
mental handicap in Ghana as opportunities, interests and abilities have not
been sufficiently considered in the past.

The basic orientation of this handbook is therefore:

FIRST THE JOB THEN THE TRAINING

This means that when a future job activity has been selected under the
participation of all concerned parties (as a rule parents and the young person
him/herself), the gap between the skills the person has already acquired and
those still necessary for mastering the job at hand are directly trained on the
job site.

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INTRODUCTION
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III. THE PRESENT SITUATION OF SCHOOL LEAVERS

Before we look at specific studies in Ghana, it is important to view the
employment situation of persons with a disability in so-called developed
countries to avoid illusions. As Elwan (1997) reports in her review, the rate of
employment of persons with a disability in high income countries is about half
of those of non disabled persons of the same age group. In developing
countries such as Mauritius only 16% of persons with a disability are
economically active as compared to 53% of the total population; and, in
Botswana, the figures are 34% of the disabled as compared to 51% in the
general population (SIDA, 1995).

Just as there are no systematic follow-up studies of transition from school to
work for graduates of regular schools in Ghana, information about youngsters
with an intellectual disability are mostly anecdotal.
Hayford (2001) in a study of four Special Schools in Ghana found that in the
period between 1992 and 1996, only five adolescents changed over from
school to the world of work. In addition, none of these schools used formal
assessment procedures to select trainees for specific vocational programs, and
the numbers of options were extremely limited: basketry, farming, batik and
envelope making.
Even though Special Schools for the mentally handicapped have officially
existed in Ghana since 1968, a study by Kniel (1995) indicates these schools
were not able to supply data on the situation of their graduates. Schools were
not in contact with school leavers who, in the case of boarding schools, come
from all over the nation. This still applies to the present situation.
In a survey of all school leavers of schools for mentally handicapped children
in Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Togo and Zaire graduates had left schools on the
average five and one half years previously and were in their early twenties
(Kniel, 1995). The large majority (83%) was still living with their parents, and
their vocational activities can be characterized as “helpers” or “assistants”. If
we combine male and female graduates

• Most school leavers (35,5%) were helping at home
• The second largest group was, in the opinion of their former teachers,
doing nothing at all

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INTRODUCTION
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• Craftsmanship such as weaving, sewing or woodwork was the third most
frequent activity (10, 5%)
• Service activities such as sweeping in a hospital, transporting goods on
a pushcart or peddling wares in front of the house were about as
frequent as crafts (10%).

This distribution of activities can only be understood if we consider that the
existing schools were all located in large towns (Abidjan, Lomé, Kinshasa and
Yaoundé) so that farming or animal raising was not an option. Unfortunately,
with very few exceptions (Congo, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo) in the nations of
Western and Central Africa, schools for mentally handicapped children are
limited to the capitals or do not exist at all.
Four fifths of the sample (79,5%) worked at home or with relatives and only a
minority (20,5%) worked away from home or with other persons than their
(extended) family members. About half of the former pupils of Special Schools
(51,5%) received no remuneration for their activities; about one third (32%)
occasional gifts; and less than one fifth (16,5%) received a part of the profit
or a salary. Even without exact data, it seems safe to assume that only a few
school leavers could support themselves independently just as this applies to a
large sector of graduates in the general population.
Except for general housekeeping training which seems to be useful, with such
a large number of mentally handicapped graduates helping at home, there is a
lack of fit between training at school and actual activity after leaving school.
Only 14% of those trained in farming and animal husbandry were later active
in this field, 32% were exercising the craft they had learned at school,
whereas 67% of those trained in housework were actually helping in the
home.
More graduates from poor homes were following some kind of activity as
compared to those from wealthier families and more girls were working than
boys. Good work habits and willingness to work, as observed by their former
teachers, correlated with actually working after leaving school.
This situation seems quite comparable to anecdotic evidence given by teachers
at the JSS level of their former pupils. Questioned on the present situation of
their former pupils students from three consecutive years of Special Education
Training in Winneba indicated

• the majority were self employed with no steady income
• average earnings were around 300 000 cedis a month

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INTRODUCTION
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• with few exceptions these graduates in their early twenties still lived
with their parents and could not afford to marry
• Many helped in the (extended) family activities.

3.1. The situation of handicapped and non
handicapped school leavers is comparable

There seems to be a comparable situation between school leavers of regular
and special schools

• the link between schools and the world of work in regular and special
settings is extremely weak

• the family environment and setting in which the graduate will return
after graduation is not taken in account

The main difference between these schools is that teachers in regular schools
do not accept responsibility for the vocational future of their graduates. In
special schools however, there is a tendency to keep even adults in the hope
of eventually training them to a level of competence so that they can succeed
in working independently. This seems an illusion as, by definition, mental
retardation implies that although the person can attain a certain level of
independence; he will need lifelong support and guidance.

3.2. Employment related Legislation and Disability

Very often it is assumed that employment opportunities for persons with a
disability can be enforced by national laws. As the International Labour
Organization (2004) outlines, legal frameworks include quota obligations,
employment equity and non- discriminations laws and laws on job retention.

Job retention laws require an employer to continue to hire an employee who
has acquired a disability while working for him. We can ignore these provisions

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INTRODUCTION
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as the mentally handicapped school leaver changing over to the world of work
has not been employed before.

In many European countries such as Germany, France and Italy quota
schemes oblige companies of a certain size to hire a percentage of
handicapped workers. Otherwise they have to pay a contribution into a central
fund for the use of vocational rehabilitation, sheltered workshops or
accessibility of the workplace.

Equity or non-discrimination laws require firms to offer equal employment
opportunities to persons with a disability and prohibit discrimination in
recruitment, promotion and other areas of employment. This model is applied
in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom among others.

In Ghana part II of the Legislative Instrument (L1632), Transfer Labour
Regulation 1969 specifies among other
• the establishment of Disablement Employment Centres (DEC),
• a National Council in to advise and assist the Minister in matters and
training of persons with a disability and
• that a quota of posts in the public and private sectors (0,5% of the total
labour force) should be set aside for sedentary jobs.

None of these provisions have been applied.
The recently discussed but not yet approved “Persons with Disability Bill”
foresees
• providing unemployed persons with a disability with training,
• providing the person with the necessary tools or working materials
• or assisting with the access to loan capital so the person can start a
business.

However the monitoring and implementation of a legal framework for persons
with a disability assumes that the government and the individual have the
necessary means and powers to enforce these laws and regulations. Presently
this does not seem to be the case in Ghana.
In addition, studies have shown (Mont, 2004) that even in developed nations
with a legal support system and enforcement of these regulations by the
judiciary system and monitoring agencies, employment rates of persons with a
disability are far higher than those of the general population.

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INTRODUCTION
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This is not to say that everyone interested in the welfare of school leavers with
a mental handicap should not lobby for legal provisions. But a legal framework
without implementation measures cannot be effective.
This is why in this handbook we concentrate on a short term strategy for
enabling the transition from school to work instead of counting on government
measures that will probably not be implemented in the near future.

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THE PROCESS OF TRANSITION
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IV. THE PROCESS OF TRANSITION

Thressiakutty, A.T. & Rao, L.G. (2001) have reviewed numerous transition
models in a publication of the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped,
India and have developed a transition model for persons with mental
retardation. This can be adapted to the Ghanaian situation in a simplified
form:

Phase of Transition Elements of Transition

Pre-primary
Primary
School learning Secondary
Pre-vocational

Job Identification
Vocational assessment
Transition Planning Job Analysis
Job Matching

On the job training
Identifying support
Job Placement
Monitoring and fade out of support

4.1. School Learning

In school children do not only learn specific academic skills but they are also
socialized in the norms and values of society. These behavioural dispositions
acquired in school allow the later integration into the world of work even of

17

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those children with a mental retardation who have not been successful in
functional academics.
The following table based on the ideas of a German psychologist Rudolf Oerter
illustrates some of the elements which school learning and the world of work
have in common:

School Work
Learning a large number of contents Achieving tasks which are not
which do not seem to be related necessarily related in the
understanding of the worker
Obligation to study subjects which may Obligation of achieving work, which
not be interesting for the pupil may not be interesting or satisfying
for the worker
Tasks need to be achieved in a given Tasks need to be achieved in a
time frame given time frame
Tasks are expected to be achieved in Tasks are expected to be achieved
good quality in good quality
Pupil is expected to show interest for all Worker is expected to work with
subjects and learning materials dedication at any type of task
In most cases pupils are not able to In most cases workers are not able
judge the fundamental reasons for the to judge the role his work plays in
content they are expected to learn the economic structure of society
Praise by teachers parents and other Money food or other advantages as
students as reinforcement for learning reinforcement for work
in school

As we shall see in a later analysis, quite a number of specific elements taught
in school help acquire skills needed in vocational activities:

• being able to communicate and respond adequately to questions and
conversation
• following instructions
• measuring equal distances
• being able to distinguish clean from dirty, large from small, heavy from
light etc.

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In an Indian study of vocational skills of persons with an intellectual disability
Suresh & Santhanam (2002) distinguish between generic skills and vocational
skills and aptitudes.
By generic skills they mean general skills such as self-help skills,
communication, social behaviour, functional academics, safety skills, domestic
behaviour and motor skills.
Vocational skills and aptitudes describe abilities such as perception, motor
co-ordination, finger and manual dexterity, which relate more closely to the
specific job at hand.
In addition we distinguish work traits which refer to motivation, promptness
of task achievement etc. and which determine the employability of a person.

As a rule, the jobs which we will analyze in one of the following chapters do
not demand a high level of academic skills. In fact, as a rule no skills in
reading, writing or formal arithmetic are required. The majority of the non
handicapped people exercising these vocations are barely literate.
We will look at key skills that are necessary for the majority of simple
activities described in this handbook and present tools that will enable the
reader to judge if the young person with an intellectual disability is suitable for
the job at hand or what further training he would need.

4.2. Transition planning

Job Identification includes surveying job opportunities available in the
environment in which the person lives as well as the persons (usually family
members) who are willing to have the person assist them in their occupation.

Vocational Assessment consists of identifying the interests of the trainee,
usually by observation as well as determining vocational readiness in different
skill areas which make it likely that he/she will succeed in a specific job.

Job analysis consists of listing the different tasks which make up the job in
sequence as precisely as possible. Here we distinguish core elements, which
are those most frequently performed (i.e. stacking of firewood) and episodic
elements which occur from time to time (i.e. bringing the wood to the
market).

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By comparing the skills needed for the specific job and the individual’s present
level of competence we can decide what elements must be trained (Job
Matching).
A detailed guide to these procedures by Heron (2005) can be found in the
internet.

Job Placement
Finally following the principle first the job, then the training, we need to
train the person to perform the tasks that make up the job sequence or
identify those elements which he can do efficiently.

Carving sculptures consists of multiple elements from selecting wood,
sharpening tools, designing the shape to be carved to finally polishing and
exhibiting the product. But there is no reason why one or several simple
elements such as storing the tools, keeping the workplace clean or sanding
and polishing the sculpture cannot be a full time job for a carver’s helper. This
means that in training we concentrate on those job elements which the person
can achieve with success. Some girls with a mental handicap can learn to sew
with a machine, some can learn to stitch evenly, and others can learn to sew
buttons depending on their individual skill level. This does not mean that each
one of these persons cannot become a helper to a seamstress depending on
the need for this type of assistance.

There is no formula to determine the number of weeks and the degree of
intensity with which a person must be trained as this depends on the
individual’s motivation and ability. However, by using our own observation and
common sense we can soon determine how much training and supervision will
be necessary.

It should again be stressed, that job training can only be achieved under
real conditions: There is no way a charcoal burner’s helper can be trained at
the site of a special school or that a special school can offer the wide range of
activities that exist as possible jobs for adolescents with a mental handicap.
Therefore, the task of the school is to practice certain basic skills in
prevocational training and follow the graduate into the community where
he/she is trained by those persons actually performing the job. Teachers can
only assist in this process by coaching and supervising when

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necessary, not by assuming the role of a craftsman or farmer
themselves.

4.3. How to analyze job opportunities

If we are looking for potential jobs in the community in which the young
mentally retarded person lives, we can select a number of activities in taking
the following guidelines in consideration:

• Look for simple jobs, where the same procedure is repeated without
great variation
• Look for jobs where the risk of accidents and injury is low
• Look for jobs with low time pressure
• Look for jobs which can be performed in a group so that help and
supervision is possible

Obviously, the first source of employment would be a family business. In a
survey of parents of children at Echoing Hills in Accra for example, Sarbah &
Gidiglio (2003) found that the majority of mothers and aunties could imagine
having their handicapped children working alongside their jobs as very many
were petty traders or doing small crafts in the house.
But in approaching potential employers we can also think of the extended
family, aunties, uncles, brothers and sisters, cousins, grandparents etc. who
might need a helping hand and work in a field that appeals to the graduate
and fits his abilities.
In addition, there are church members and other person in the community
that can be approached because they need some assistance and are willing to
help their fellow man.
Certainly, if the parents are well connected, they can attempt to find jobs such
as messenger/ cleaner in the public sector (hospitals, schools, district councils)
if possible.
This handbook gives a wide variety of job activities which can stimulate your
ideas.

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A stepwise approach

Use a stepwise approach:
1. A list of all possible job options can be worked out with the parents in a
brainstorming session.
2. This list of possible jobs can be evaluated together by looking at the
young person’s abilities and interests to see, which options should really
be attempted.
3. Work out, who is going to approach which potential employer3.
4. Decide when to meet again to report on results.

Approaching potential employers

In approaching potential employers, even if they are relatives of the person
concerned, we cannot always count on an enthusiastic reception.

Therefore we should use the following approach:
1. Contact the potential employer in a friendly and positive manner.
2. Choose a convenient time for the visit or offer to come back again if the
time chosen is not practical.
3. Talk about what the person in question can do and not what he cannot
do.
4. Give examples of positive job performance of other workers with mental
retardation.
5. Underline that very often mentally handicapped persons enjoy simple
repetitive tasks and are eager to work if they are treated well.
6. Remember, in talking to a potential employer or relative willing to work
with the graduate it is your job to listen and understand the problems
that this person might anticipate and not to preach or argue with
him.
7. You are not there to expound the righteous sermon of brotherly love for
the mentally retarded but to understand and analyze what obstacles
the potential employers or family member sees in working with the
young mentally handicapped person. These doubts must be overcome

3
The employer will in the majority of cases be a relative sharing his work and some of the
profits with his mentally handicapped helper

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by your input and active assistance, not by sermonizing or giving verbal
advice. Talk is cheap; it is direct help from you that the potential
employer or family member expects.
8. It is also possible that some member of the family perhaps an elder
brother or sister or the mother would like to start a small business,
where the person with a mental disability could be of help. The National
Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) has an Entrepreneurship
Development Programme (EDP) which trains persons in starting and
running a successful business and has regional secretariats in all
regional capitals throughout Ghana as well advisors in some district
capitals.
9. You should therefore be familiar with the location of advisory services, of
micro credit schemes and of NGOs active in your area in order to help
the family or potential employers.

4.4. Vocational assessment

Vocational assessment consists of analyzing the vocational interests of a
young person with an intellectual disability as well as testing those abilities
that make it likely that he will succeed at a specific task.
The goal of assessment is making an informed decision as to whether the
young person has the prerequisite skills to handle a specific job and if his
personality and interests are suitable so that he will be willing to work at this
specific task.
Work is a very important part of our life and we spend most of the time we are
awake working. A job can be a source of accomplishment and pride and have
an enormous effect on our overall life satisfaction, or it can be a cause for
frustration and dissatisfaction. That is why it is so important to spend some
time in analyzing what type of work is available (i.e. opportunities), and could
be done by the young person, as well as to include the graduate in the
decision making process. Not the teacher or the school decides the
vocational future of the graduate but the young person and his
parents or tutors.

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4.5. Assessing vocational interest

Most formal tools for assessing vocational interests are paper and pencil tests
which look at general interests and compare choices of activities and work that
matches this interest (e.g. the Strong Interest Inventory4).
However, these assessment tools demand reading and writing skills that the
vast majority of students with a mental handicap do not possess. They have
been developed for industrialized society so their use is questionable in Ghana.
Even the Reading Free Vocational Interest Inventory (R-FVII)5 which is
designed specifically for persons with mental retardation or learning difficulties
and uses pictures in order to assess interest for different service areas cannot
be used in our context because of different vocational activities in American
and Ghanaian society.

Therefore until such tools have been developed, parents, teachers and the
graduates themselves will need to base their decisions as to interest in
vocational activities on observation and informal questioning.

Three simple methods

There are three simple methods of finding out the vocational interests of a
young school leaver. These are:

• Asking the young mentally handicapped person himself in a formal
interview or informal conversation
• Questioning the parents, teachers and other individuals familiar with the
person
• Observing if the person shows enthusiasm and satisfaction as he
performs different prevocational activities

Very often by observing the young person in the school context, talking to him
about his preferences and interviewing individuals close to him, we can easily
decide, if the student:

4
http://www.careers-by-design.com/strong_interest_inventory.htm
5
http://www.psychcorp.com/catalogs/paipc/psy132dpri.htm

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• prefers activities in the classroom to those out on the grounds
• likes gross motor physical activities as compared to fine motor activities
while sitting down
• prefers to work alone or in a group
• likes being around animals or prefers working the soil
• can tolerate dirty work and noise or would prefer a quiet indoor
environment

Unfortunately, in Ghana education often seems to mean staying in a school
building. However, especially for the prevocational classes getting to know a
large number of vocational activities is very important for developing career
interests.
Visiting a cobbler at the work site, seeing how a food seller prepares her meals
and accompanying a cattle herdsman for a day or two can be more
educational than sitting in a classroom looking at a blackboard.
The syllabus of prevocational training should include a large number of such
educational visits.
Very often in informal conversation young mentally handicapped pupils will
express interest in jobs that are very probably “out of their reach”, such as
becoming a bus driver or repairing televisions and cassette decks. We should
not make fun of them and ridicule them for misjudging their abilities but take
their wish seriously.

An older boy in a unit for mentally handicapped children was very interested in
and friendly with craftsmen in an electronics workshop near his family house.
He expressed a strong desire to work as a TV and radio repairman. Since the
fine motor and cognitive skills involved in this work were considered too
complex for his abilities, the mother and the school looked for a solution that
would reconcile his interest and abilities. As there were people in the house
that could always be called on to help, the young man was installed in front of
the house to sell DVDs and play cassettes to people passing by which he did
with great enthusiasm and some success.

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4.6. Assessing abilities

In our stepwise approach, an analysis of abilities of the young person with a
mental handicap is intended to analyze prerequisite skills that make it likely
that the person will succeed in the job that he and his family have selected.
It can only be underlined again that many simple jobs in which mentally
retarded school leavers can work as assistants or helpers do not demand very
high prerequisite skill levels, especially if the person is not expected to
perform the entire task involved from beginning to end. This means, for
example, in helping with making pottery the activities of the helper can be
limited to preparing the clay or firing the kiln, so that dexterity at shaping pots
is not essential. Just as many jobs do not demand a great deal of physical
strength, in others language skills or a pleasing appearance or reading skills
are not essential.
Our Winneba Vocational Readiness Scale (WVRS) which is printed in the
annexe can be used to determine whether a mentally handicapped individual
has those necessary skills which make it likely that he can work in a certain
occupation. This scale permits a judgement if the person possesses the
necessary prerequisite skills that make it probable that he will succeed in
effectively training for a certain job
Each of the eight dimensions (social competence, safety awareness, self care
skills, orientation and travel, functional academics, social behaviour,
motivation and work behaviour, physical strength and agility) may be of
different importance for different occupations. For example, skills concerning
orientation in the community and travel competencies are important for
someone moving around and collecting rubbish whereas functional academic
skills are irrelevant for this job. On the other hand, a person working as a shop
assistant would in some cases need certain functional academic skills such as
reading product labels or making change whereas travel competencies would
usually not be important.
Therefore observing the level of competence in the eight skill areas of
prerequisite skills at the school level can give valuable information as to the
selection of possible occupations for school leavers.
To make this point more clear let us compare profiles in the Winneba
Vocational Readiness Scale (WVRS ) that would make it likely that a
person could successfully be trained to work effectively as a tomato grower’s
helper; whereas successful training as a chop bar cleaner would be quite

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difficult because the prerequisite skills are mostly missing. In the following
table, the minimum competencies have been listed according to the Winneba
Vocational Readiness Scale. Even though a higher level of competence may
be desirable and would make collaboration with the helper who is mentally
handicapped easier, this readiness level would be sufficient to perform the job
at hand, if specific training on the job is added.
Please compare the total scores in the different skill areas to get an idea of
how these can be used to judge whether a person has the necessary
prerequisite skills to be likely to accomplish certain jobs6.

6
Of course some of the scores deemed necessary for certain skills are somewhat arbitrary.
we have tried to define the minimum level of competence that would be required as a
starting point for on the job training

27

Tomato grower’s helper Chop Bar Assistant
Duties Clearing of the land Selling of drinking water to customers,
Planting of Tomato seedlings Collecting of the plates after customers finish eating
Weeding Cleaning of the tables
Supporting plants with sticks Sweeping of the room
Social Communication: Communication:
Interaction Makes himself understood only by gestures (1) Makes himself understood easily and to everybody (4)
Greeting: Greeting:
Recognizes familiar persons (2) Greets politely and spontaneously (4)
Offers Help or Assistance: Offers Help or Assistance:
Does not offer to assist (1) Assists when prompted (3)
Social Behaviour: Social Behaviour:
Is distinctly unsociable (1) Shows age and culturally appropriate behaviour towards
peers as well as strangers (4)
TOTAL: 5
TOTAL:15
Self Care Toileting: Toileting:
Skills Has an occasional “Accident “ (2) Has effective control of toilet needs (4)
Personal Hygiene: Personal Hygiene:
Needs some assistance (2) Can wash independently in any familiar environment (3)
Eating: Eating:
Needs to be served but can eat in a group (3) Can serve himself and eat in a group (4)
Grooming: Grooming:
Needs assistance for clean dress, hair and finger nails (1) Can groom himself independently but forgets some
aspects(3)
TOTAL:8
TOTAL:14
Safety Use of sharp objects: Use of sharp objects:
Awareness Can use sharp objects under very close supervision (2) Can use sharp objects under loose supervision (3)
Electrical Hazards: Electrical Hazards:
Cannot use switches and electrical appliances (1) Can operate switches and electrical appliances safely under
loose supervision (3)
Fire Hazards:

28

Cannot light or use a fire but is aware of its danger (2) Fire Hazards:
Can light and use a fire under supervision (3)
Threats by Animals
(Scorpions, Snakes): Runs away and informs others of Threats by Animals
danger (4) (Scorpions, Snakes): Stands and shouts for help (2)
TOTAL:9 TOTAL:11
Orientation Orientation in the community: Orientation in the community:
and Travel Walks independently in the community (4) Remembers routes in the neighbourhood when sufficiently
trained (3)
Directions and Sign Boards:
Can follow difficult directions (4) Directions and Sign Boards:
Can follow one-component directions (2)
Public Transport:
Needs help in ticket purchasing and where to get off (2) Public Transport:
Needs help in ticket purchasing and where to get off (2)
Traffic Hazard:
Can use certain busy roads after intensive training (3) Traffic Hazard:
Can use certain busy roads after intensive training (3)
TOTAL:13
TOTAL:10
Functional Reading & Writing: Reading& Writing:
Academics Cannot read or write (1) Cannot read or write (1)
Measurement: Measurement:
Can measure with a string or measuring bowl (3) Can distinguish larger or smaller (2)
Money skills: Money skills:
Does not know the value of coins or bills (1) Can give correct change for a sum of up to 5000 c (4)
Number skills: Number skills:
Can count objects up to ten (2) Can add / subtract two digit numbers and has concepts of
them (3)
TOTAL:7
TOTAL:10
Task Group functioning: Group functioning:
Behaviour Can work together in small groups of up to 5 persons under Can function in small groups under loose supervision (3)
close supervision (2)

Responsibility:
Responsibility:
Is careful with equipment given to him under close

29

supervision (3) Is careful with equipment given to him under close
supervision (3)
Reaction to Instruction:
Follows instructions for one step at a time (3) Reaction to Instruction:
Follows instructions of several steps at a time (4)
Tolerance of criticism:
Accepts criticism and tries to correct (3) Tolerance of criticism:
Accepts criticism and corrects as needed (4)
TOTAL: 11
TOTAL:14
Motivations Perseverance: Perseverance:
and Work Can carry out a work activity for 15 minutes without Can carry out a work activity for 15 minutes without
Behaviour stoppages (3) stoppages (3)
Willingness: Willingness:
Is willing to take up only familiar assignments (3) Is willing to take up only familiar assignments (3)
Punctuality: Punctuality:
Is punctual only 50% of the time (2) Is punctual for almost all of the time (3)
Remaining in workplace: Remaining in workplace:
Occasionally leaves workplace without permission (2) Leaves workplace only with permission (3)
TOTAL: 10 TOTAL:12
Physical Lifting and Carrying: Lifting and Carrying:
Strength Can lift and carry weight up to 15 kg (3) Can lift and carry small weights up to 5 kg (2)
and Agility
Walking and Running: Walking and Running :
Can walk for more than an hour without resting (4) Can walk steadily for 10 minutes (2)
Holding and Grasping: Holding and Grasping:
Can grasp and hold objects firmly of any site or weight (4) Can grasp and hold objects firmly of any site or weight (4)
Bending and Balancing: Bending and Balancing:
Can bend down (for example for sweeping or weeding) for at Can bend down (for example for sweeping or weeding) for at
least 10 minutes (2) least 10 minutes (2)
TOTAL:13 TOTAL:10

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The table illustrates clearly that level of competence for a tomato grower’s
helper need to be slightly higher in the areas of physical strength and agility
as well as in orientation and travel skills as he perhaps has to move around to
tend to different fields. On the other hand, a chop bar assistant needs a
pleasing appearance (self care skills), positive social interaction and good task
behavior in order to be accepted by the customers. Safety awareness,
functional academics and motivation and work behavior have almost the same
necessary skill level for both types of jobs, even though it is evident that the
hazards for chop bar assistant would consist of dealing with electrical
appliances and cooking fires. A tomato grower’s helper would need to instead
react safely to bush fires and dangerous animals such as snakes and
scorpions.
However it also becomes clear that, given the necessary supervision and
training, most graduates of a school for mentally retarded children would be
capable of performing the necessary skills in both jobs.
However, if some of the core prerequisite skills for a certain occupation have
not been acquired during the whole period of schooling due to physical or
other limitations despite intensive training, then this is an indication that the
abilities of the graduate are not sufficient for this job.

4.7. Job Analysis

A breakdown of all the tasks involved in a job (Task Analysis) serves as a
guideline for the necessary steps in the job training of the person with an
intellectual disability. All the components of the job need to be described as
precisely as possible to develop a training plan and a checklist to find out
which elements of the job have been mastered.
Task analysis goes back to the nineteen twenties when assembly lines were
being installed for manufacturing and time motion studies were used to
determine the quickest and least wasteful way of performing certain tasks.
Following Thressiakutty & Rao (2001, 67) we can distinguish four useful
elements for analyzing a work sequence:

• core work routines
• episodic work routines
• work behaviors
• and work related skills

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Core work routines are those that occur very frequently or daily in a job. For
example, fowls must be fed every day and given drinking water and also the
chicken coops must be cleaned every day to avoid contagious disease. The
goal of task analysis is to arrange these recurring tasks into simple sequential
steps that can be trained until the person has mastered them.

Episodic work routines are those tasks that occur more seldom in a job,
such as once a week. For example, carrying feed sacks to a storage shed on a
chicken farm will only be necessary when new grain for feeding has been
bought. Catching and preparing chickens for inoculations will only be
necessary on the day when the veterinarian is expected.

Work behaviors are those “soft skills” expected from a worker such as
punctuality, getting along with co-workers, being able to stand time pressure,
etc. In many cases, feedback from the job trainer will be necessary to make
the trainee with a mental disability aware of these expectations.

Work related skills are skills associated with successful performance but not
directly linked to the job itself. For example, someone working in agriculture
must be able to find his way to the outlying fields where yams are being
planted (orientation and mobility skills), must be capable of identifying labels
that signal “Poison” when spraying plants (functional academics) etc.

Some work behaviors and work related skills have been identified and are
included in the Winneba Vocational Readiness Scale. They will be underlined in
our Task Analysis of different jobs available for persons with a mental
retardation in the Ghanaian context.

How to develop a job analysis

The different elements making up a job can be observed and analyzed by
watching other persons perform the core and episodic activities.
You can ask someone to directly instruct you in performing all elements of the
job.
Then perform these activities yourself. Look at how well you have done and
ask someone who customarily does this activity to criticize your work. Let the

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person point out to you which elements are correct and which activities could
be improved. Do not assume you know it all before trying to do the job
yourself.
On this basis, develop a task analysis by writing down the sequence of
activities that follow one upon the other.
This handbook contains a large number of jobs accessible to adolescents with
a mental handicap who will leave school. They have been put in alphabetical
order and can also be sorted as to activity areas. All these jobs have been
analyzed as to their sequence of tasks. Some hints are given as to the
prerequisite skills that would make it very probable that a school leaver could
be trained for this job following the results in the Winneba Vocational
Readiness Scale.
In the following chapter these task analyses will be listed so that the reader
can choose professions which will be suited for an individual school leaver after
having looked at
• the job opportunities that are available in the environment in which the
person lives
• the young school leaver’s interests and abilities
• and having discussed these options with the adolescent and his parents.

4.8. Job matching

As we have already mentioned, job matching consists of comparing the skills
needed for performing the selected job and the skills which the person has
already acquired in order to decide what must be trained so that a high level
of performance can be achieved.
To give an example: most adolescents with a mental handicap have learned
how to sweep a room or wash their clothing by hand. However, in some cases
they fail to notice areas of the floor that are still dirty or cannot judge the
amount of soap that must be used for the amount of washing and water given.
These steps must be patiently demonstrated and repeated until the person has
mastered these steps.
Two issues are important to keep in mind:
• The person who is doing the training on site (we will call him the job
coach) will usually be a co-worker and family member. The job coach
must be well selected and trained. The person must be patient and

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willing to take the time to show each step as often as necessary. In
addition he must be able to give feedback without becoming abusive or
overly critical. Otherwise the young school leaver will not learn.
• Not all elements of the job must be mastered for the young
mentally handicapped person to be useful. There is no reason why
the person should not concentrate on a few simple elements, such as
hoeing, weeding and watering. Preparing the mixture and spraying the
plants would be done by another person. This type of division of labor is
very common in settings where persons considered “normal” often work.

A 15 year old girl enrolled in a unit for mentally handicapped children in a
regular school was quite competent in assisting her mother in preparing fried
plantains and “red red”. The mother sold the prepared food to customers
mostly at noon. The girl was able to peel the plantains, wash the dishes, run
errands such as buying beans and firewood and call the mother if customers
arrived. However, even though many efforts had been made to help the girl
distinguish different kinds of coins and bills in order to make change, she was
not able to learn these skills. Since the parents unrealistically expected the girl
to master all the necessary tasks for selling prepared food, the mother broke
off the vocational training and sent the girl back to school and could not be
convinced that her expectations were not matched to the adolescent’s abilities.

Vocational activities

Vocational activities can be classified in different ways either as an
alphabetical listing or grouped as to activity areas such as:

• Animal rearing
• Crop farming
• Food and drink preparation
• Crafts and manufacturing
• Services and commerce

As we will later see, most of the activities that belong to a common vocational
field are based on similar skills, which can be analyzed and used as a basis for
prevocational training. We will discuss this point in a later chapter.

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The list of vocational activities - which is by no means exhaustive - is
structured as follows:
• Job title and brief description of duties
• Main activities
• Analysis of prerequisite skills that make it likely that a person can be
successful at this job
• Description of main task areas
• Take home share (expected earnings)
• Necessary equipment and investments for working in this job
• Risks involved and safety measures
• Gender factors and seasonality of work

These brief descriptions of job activities for mentally handicapped youths will
enable the reader to select certain areas which could be a future way of
earning a living for a specific young school leaver if the following conditions
are given:
• Opportunity, i.e., this is a job activity that is common in the region,
and a family member is working in this field and willing to let the young
person help on the job
• Interest, i.e., the school leaver has demonstrated interest in this or
similar areas of work in school or at home
• Ability, i.e., the pupil has the necessary prerequisite skills such as
physical strength and ability or communication skills that make it likely
that he will be able to master the tasks that make up the job.

Again let it be understood that not all elements of the job must be
mastered in order that a person can work in this field, but a minimal
competence must be achieved in order for a mentally handicapped youth to
become active in a certain job area.
All these job descriptions are based on an analysis of different vocational areas
by students of Education of the Mentally Handicapped at the University of
Education in Winneba in the years 2003 to 2006 7 and, of course; do not cover
all possible activities. In addition, some elements may be erroneous as
teachers and the author are not professionals in these job areas.

7
Without naming each individual student I would like to thank them for their work which
was achieved as an assignment in the course „Vocational Training and Transition“.

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The reader is therefore encouraged to add new job activities which are within
the reach of mentally handicapped youths to this collection, as well as revise
and correct some of the job descriptions where it is necessary.
The job catalog is meant to serve as a stimulus to generate ideas about what a
young person could do to earn a living and not as a definite list of jobs for the
mentally handicapped. In fact, as the reader will observe, the majority of
these simple activities are performed by average Ghanaian citizens and are by
no means unique to persons with a mental handicap.
It would make no sense at all to focus prevocational training in special schools
on a selection of these activities as they can only be learned in the field and by
actually performing the duties involved. However, as we shall see in a later
chapter some common elements of most job activities can be trained in school
by a careful selection and monitoring of prevocational projects.

36

AN ANALYSIS OF VOCATIONAL OPTIONS FOR MENTALLY HANDICAPPED SCHOOL LEAVERS
________________________________________________________________________________________

V. AN ANALYSIS OF VOCATIONAL OPTIONS FOR
MENTALLY HANDICAPPED SCHOOL LEAVERS

As has already been explained in detail, vocational choice for mentally
handicapped school leavers needs to take in account:
• the interests of the person leaving school
• the abilities he has shown during the school years
• as well as the job opportunities that exist among members of the
extended family and the community in which he lives or where he
will return.

The following selection of job activities can serve as a guide as to what
common vocational activities are accessible to mentally handicapped school
leavers if they have the necessary prerequisite skills and are trained on the
job.
As was explained before, vocational activities have been selected, if
• the tasks are simple and repetitive
• the risk of accidents and injury is low
• there is low time pressure involved
• they can be performed in a group so that help and supervision are
possible.
In addition, since the majority of parents of mentally handicapped children are
not affluent, we have also made an effort to give information as to the
necessary investments and tools important for working in this job and
estimated possible earnings, so that parents could decide if they have the
means to set up their child in this type of work. Also some information is given
as to risk of injury and possible safety measures.
As we are looking at vocational activities in the informal sector where the
majority of young Ghanaians find work, we have divided these jobs into
groups according to the areas the different jobs focus on.
The following areas have been selected:
• Farming (animal rearing and crop farming)
• Crafts (involving heavy or light physical labor)
• Food preparation and processing
• Services and Commerce

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Information is also given as to the customary performance of certain jobs by
males or females and if the job can be performed all year round or is limited to
certain seasons. It goes without saying that the majority of the jobs presented
in this handbook is not restricted to a single sex and contain information about
work that is regular and maintained throughout the year.
The main tasks of these activities have been analyzed in order to help parents
and teachers decide, if the school leaver has the necessary skills that make it
likely that he or she can master this vocation.

Again we need to underline, that not all tasks that make up a helper’s role
need to be mastered in order to work in a certain vocation: certain
selected tasks can be performed by the mentally handicapped school leaver in
order to make a valuable contribution to the family income.

38

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FARMING

About 60% of the work force in Ghana is involved in farming, which includes
growing vegetables or raising animals. In addition, many families in Ghana
may raise goats and chicken or plant vegetables or maize in order to
supplement their diet. In our job analysis we will concentrate on the most
common types of food production without attempting to provide an exhaustive
list.
Since farming is usually a family enterprise and depends on the amount of
arable land, the investment in seeds and livestock etc. no exact statement
about expected income can be given. Again we would like to underscore that
in most cases the helper is likely to get a “take home share” and not regular
wages or a steady income. The amount earned can be quite low just as a large
percentage of the Ghanaian population is forced to exist on less than one US $
a day.

ANIMAL FARMING
Snail raising helper

CROP FARMING
Nursery bed helper

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5.1. ANIMAL REARING

In Ghana, we find a wide range of activities related to animal rearing. Work in
this area can include being a feeding attendant on a poultry farm raising
hundreds of chickens or attending to large herds of cattle, as well as to caring
for a small number of chicken or goats for home consumption.
Even though many activities in rearing different types of animals are similar
in nature we have included them in order to show what a wide variety of
possible jobs in this field exist for persons with a mental handicap.

SNAIL RAISING HELPER

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5.1.1. Animal manure maker
Prepares fertilizer which needs little cash input. He collects manure and
prepares it for decomposing in four to six months by adding plant waste and
water.

Main activities
• collecting animal manure
• storing the manure
• preparing the manure

Prerequisite skills
An animal manure maker needs only limited social skills (ex. can
communicate by gestures) but needs to be willing to assist and accept some
criticism. The person needs only a very limited self-care skill as the job itself
is not clean. However, the person needs to be able to wash carefully after
work. The only safety hazards could be encountering wild animals or snakes.
Orientation and travel skills are important as he needs to roam about
searching for manure. Functional academics are of no importance. However,
responsibility, motivation and work behavior must be given and a certain
degree of physical strength and agility is needed.

Main task areas
Collecting animal manure
• distinguishes between animal manure and other waste matter
• mixes manure of different species if possible
• uses shovel or scraper to put it into a bucket
• puts leaves on top, when the bucket is full
• carries the manure to a storage place

Storing the manure
• locates site on a solid surface
• digs a shallow pit
• provides shade either under a tree or by providing a roof

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Preparing the manure
• adds leaves and grass and mixes it with the animal manure
• stirs the manure heap to let air in
• waters lightly to speed up decomposition process
• checks the heat and moisture level by placing a stick in the middle

Necessary tools and investments
Bucket, gloves, shovel or scraper. The total investment amounts to less than
50 000 Cedis at present prices.

Take home share
Manure is usually not sold but used for own farming, so no figures can be
given.

Risk of injury
Low, but animal manure can be a health risk if the manure contains diseased
organisms or is allowed to contaminate ground or surface water resources.

Safety measures
During collection, transport and application, the helper should avoid direct
contact and inhalation of manure by wearing gloves as well as mouth and
nose protection (wet rag) and wash carefully after work
The manure heap should not be stored close to water sources to avoid
contamination.

Gender factor
This job could be done by both sexes.

Seasonality
Collecting and preparing manure is an all year round job.

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5.1.2. Beekeeping assistant
Helps in the production and extraction of honey, bottling the product and
selling it.

Main activities
• setting up of beehives for the production of honey
• extraction of honey
• packaging and marketing the product

Prerequisite skills
A beekeeping assistant will need only limited social skills (ex. can
communicate by gestures) if not dealing with the public but needs to be
willing to assist and accept some criticism. However since he is involved in
food production the person must be clean when preparing and selling honey.
Safety awareness can be limited to safely using a cutlass and using fire for
generating smoke. Orientation and travel skills, as well as functional
academics can be minimal if the person is not involved in selling or bringing
the products to the market. However, responsibility, motivation and work
behavior must be given, and a certain degree of physical strength and agility
is needed.

Main task areas
Setting up beehives for the production of honey
• carries wooden boxes (beehives) to the site and places them on stands
• captures swarms on flowering plants during the swarming season in
February and March
• places the swarms in the beehives which have been treated with wax
• checks after two to three months to see if combs are ready for
harvesting

Extraction of honey
• smokes boxes to drive away the swarm
• retrieves the combs with a clean sieve or cloth
• collects and strains the honey by squeezing it through a cloth
• removes dirt and impurities from the strained honey

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Packaging and marketing the product
• fills the honey into bottles or other containers using a funnel 8
• carries the honey bottles in a container to the sales point
• assists in selling the honey

Earnings
Depend on the amount of honey harvested and sold

For buying catcher and hiving boxes, metal stands, smokers, bucket, strainer,
wax and insecticide and bottles for filling with honey investment costs of
about 700 000 Cedis can be expected. However the assistant would only
need some protective clothing and a cutlass and a knife with the cost not
exceeding 50 000 cedis.

Risks of injury
The assistant can be stung by bee swarms or step on snakes in the bush. He
risks being cut while weeding and burns from fire while smoking the bees.

Safety measures
The helper should learn to work carefully with a knife or cutlass. Protective
clothing can be worn when working with the bees.

Gender factors
Customarily bee keeping is a male occupation but of course it is also possible
for females.

Seasonality
Keeping of bees and harvesting of honey is a year round occupation but has
its peak in the Harmattan season with hot weather.

8
The empty combs can be heated for extracting bee wax used for making candles or
other purposes

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5.1.3. Feed attendant
Animals such as pigs, sheep and goats are kept in a pen to prevent accidents
or stealing. The caretaker feeds these animals three times a day.

Main activities
• collecting feed
• watering and feeding the animals
• cleaning the pens
• carrying out additional tasks as needed

Prerequisite skills
A high level of communication skills is not important, but the attendant must
be able to accept some criticism and be willing to help. Self care skills can be
limited as the feed attendant does not deal with the public. He needs to be
able to use sharp objects such as a cutlass and a knife safely; and orientation
and travel skills are essential in collecting animal feed. Functional academics
and social behavior can be quite rudimentary, but good motivation and work
behavior with a certain degree of physical strength and agility is a must.

Main task areas
Collecting feed
• looks for grass for the animals
• cuts grass using a cutlass or a sickle
• removes sticks and inedible material
• collects husks and peels from houses and chop bars in the locality
• carries the feed home for the animals

Watering and feeding
• shares the feed proportionally into the troughs or the containers for the
animals
• makes sure there is always water for drinking.

Cleaning the pens
• cleans the pen, the feed and water troughs
• throws left-over feed (grass, cassava, peels ) away
• stores feed in the appropriate place

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Additional tasks
• helps in carrying out periodic repairs of the pen.
• helps separate sick and pregnant animals from the others

Cutlass, wheelbarrow, sickle, basket, broom, Wellington boots. The necessary
equipment costs below 200 000 Cedis at present prices.

Take home share
Can earn up to 250 000 Cedis a month.

Risk of injury
The assistant can hurt himself with a cutlass or a sickle while cutting grass
but, in general, risk of injury is low.

Safety measures
A first aid kit should be available. The attendant should wear Wellington boots
and gloves when necessary. After work the attendant should wash carefully
to avoid infection.

Gender factors
This job can be performed by both sexes.

Seasonality
The activity of a feed attendant does not depend on a season.

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5.1.4. Fisherman’s assistant
Helps prepare the boot for fishing, unloads the catch and brings it to the
market and assists in small repairs of the equipment.

Main activities
• preparation for fishing
• fishing at sea
• small repairs and marketing

Prerequisite skills
A fisherman’s assistant needs only limited social skills (ex. can communicate
by gestures), but needs to be willing to assist and accept some criticism. The
person needs only very limited self-care skills, as he is not working in public.
Safety skills include being able to swim and not getting to close to the
outboard motor. Orientation and travel skills as well as functional academics
can be minimal if the person is not involved in selling or bringing the products
to the market. However, responsibility, motivation and work behavior must
be given, and a good degree of physical strength and agility is needed.

Main task areas
Preparation for fishing
• carries ropes, nets and container to the boat
• stores them in their proper place
• carries the outboard motor to and from the boat
• on instruction goes to buy fuel for the motor
• helps push the boat into the sea

Fishing at sea
• assists in casting the net
• helps in pulling in the net
• removes fish from the net
• drains water from the boat with a tin or bucket

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Small repairs and marketing
• loads the catch into pans for carrying ashore
• cleans and bundles the nets
• carries nets, ropes and containers to the storage point
• removes the outboard motor and stores it
• cleans the boat
• mends the nets when torn
• helps transport fish to the selling point

Take home share
Depending on the skill on the job a helper can earn between 150 000 and
200 000 Cedis a month.

Investments for an outboard motor, nets and a boat can be quite high, but
the assistant himself does not need any money to become a helper

Risks of injury
Are given because of the heavy work and the dangers of the sea involved.

Safety measures
The helper needs to be careful near the outboard motor and taught to stand
or sit steadily in the boat. He should be able to swim and if possible wear a
life jacket.

Gender factors
Traditionally fishing is a male occupation.

Seasonality
Fishing is a year round regular activity except for those days when
traditionally no one goes to sea.

48

Transition from School to Work: A Handbook for the Mentally Handicapped

Transition from School to Work: A Handbook for the Mentally Handicapped

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