In this work we aim to describe the evolution of two mental handicapped people in the realization of activities related with the administrative administration in the Public Administration. 

   An initial evaluation was made to observe cognitive capacities that are necessary in the realization of those activities. Later, several sessions were carried out to develop the deteriorated cognitive capacities in the people with mental handicapped. The materials used during the working sessions will facilitate no only the training of these capacities, but also the transmission of that training to social and labour environments. Finally, the participants of the investigation will develop cognitive tasks with a higher level of quality.

     The labour incorporation of handicapped people is a main topic at the present time. To find an employment is not easy nowadays and more if the person is handicapped. This is a current society problem. People with lower opportunities should be integrated in this competitive world of the work; they also should have economic independence to fulfil their satisfaction and personal realization (Alomar and Cabré, 2005). 

So that these people carry out with success the task of different activities, the self-determination plays a very important role, since it consists on the real guarantee so that people, to the margin of their capacities, have a vital project, based on its individuality and identity and to exercise control on the same one. In the case of gravely affected people, the exercise of the self-determination can be, largely, indirect (mediated for other) and it is achieved by means of the appropriate supports (López, Marín y De la Parte, 2004). 

The self-determination in these people takes implicit the self-regulation of the learning, understanding this as that learning in which the knowledge is used to elaborate a proposed activity, and in the one that the apprentices mark some goals that seek to get through abilities and strategies. They also manage the cognitive and affective aspects of their behaviour during the realization of the task. They are experts of their possibilities toward the task and they are able to continue still motivated being presented difficulties (Eilam and Aharon, 2003). 

In what concerns to the studies on the labour insert of people with handicap in ordinary environments we meet with very few investigations. Pallisera, Sullana and Vila (2005) used questionnaires and interviews with handicapped workers, their families and colleges. Through those questionnaires and interviews, as well as through the analysis of the work position, it was found that educational strategies facilitate the development of social and personal areas of handicapped people.

 The main objective of this exploratory study is analyzing the cognitive development in mental handicapped people. Labour and personal competences are studied to find out improvements in the workers through the training sessions. 

Method

Participants

Two people with mental handicap, a boy and a girl of 25 and 30 years of age that made their practices in the University of Extremadura during a period of two months each one.

Procedure  

It has been carried out a qualitative methodology of study of cases that is divided in three fundamental phases.

1. Phase: It consists in an initial evaluation for which were selected the activities that will be evaluated in the work position firstly. Once selects were carried out an analysis of the tasks in such a way that we had four competence units that were subdivided in professional realizations. (To see table).

The developed maps are formed of a series of sections as the capacities and previous knowledge that the mental handicapped people must have, the competences, as personal as labour, the contents, that make reference to concepts and vocabulary, cognitive strategies and intellectual attitudes and necessities and a methodology that includes the necessities of support and difficulties anticipated with the corresponding help and the principles of intervention with transferences to the everyday life. Finally, the evaluation section contains the personal and labour competences with their realization criterion.

The used observation registrations are formed by the realization criterions that have been obtained of the personal and labour competences. Each one of these criterions has their realization degrees.

The evaluation was made three times a week and many of them were even recorded in videotape. 

2. Phase: Pre-labour formation. We work each one of the professional realizations selected initially with adapted activities of programs of cognitive development that show cognitive competences that they must acquire to be able to develop a more effective work later. These competences can be spatial orientation, understanding of instructions, classification, analytic perception, inductive reasoning and attention. These activities are carried out approximately in sessions of forty five minutes of duration 

Each activity is completed with a map that includes similar sections like the mentioned previously.

3. Phase: We considered the work that the person with mental handicap carries out accompanied with the special support with which has worked previously in the pre-labour formation and also the natural support that you can find in any company. First the person with mental handicap was evaluated with the special support and later with the natural support. 

During the period of special support we evaluate the same professional realizations to observe again if improvements have been obtained after having participated in the sessions of pre-labour formation. Here the specialist person gives the necessary help to the person with handicap. 

To evaluate those professional realizations with the natural support, previously we advised him and, therefore, we valued in what measure this person fulfils the orientations given by the specialist person.

Results and conclusions  

Interesting information for the process of labour insertion of handicapped people has been obtained during this research. The elements that allow a better labour insertion have been described.

The extracted data of the observation registrations allowed to evolution in the labour insertion of handicapped workers. An initial evaluation showed low levels of planning, organization and knowledge of different activities. Some changes appeared after having participated in the phase of pre-labour formation, where erroneous learning rules were modelled. Those changes are related with competences as the manage of office tools, the organization and store of information in conventional support files, the attendance to clients and the creation of simple documents. 

These results corroborate the studies of Pallisera et al. (2005) that show the significance of a preparatory training where the contents are related with social abilities, organization and resolution of problems.  

Finally, the role of support seems to be an essential mediator for the development of the handicapped person. Hence, the guidance is essential in those dexterities that facilitate the handicapped worker's adaptation to the working role, and consequently the success of the labour insertion.