Adults with intellectual disability want to socialise, have friends and be part of their community. For this to be achieved, they recognise the need to seek some form of support. With appropriate and targeted support, adults with intellectual disability can move from social exclusion towards supported inclusion and experience richer lives.

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Background As part of a larger study exploring the transition to retirement for people with intellectual disability from a working life in mainstream employment, this paper reports on retirement from the perspective of those who have already retired. Method Semi‐structured interviews were undertaken with five Australian retirees with intellectual disability. Data were analysed using grounded theory methodology. Employment service records provided background information on participants' employment and supports. Results Retirement occurred as the solution to ongoing problems primarily related to health. Retirement decisions were made in conjunction with family and support staff, with participants reporting varying levels of self‐determination in the process, and mixed feelings about their retirement. None of the participants were participating in mainstream community groups in retirement. Conclusions There is a need for retirement preparation for this emerging population to support self‐determination in retirement‐related decisions including individualized training to facilitate independent participation in mainstream social activities in retirement.

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Background: We evaluated a transition to retirement intervention that adapted strategies used to support employment of people with intellectual disability in mainstream workplaces. The intervention facilitated their independent participation in mainstream community groups and volunteering.Methods: We randomised 29 older Australians who currently/previously worked in mainstream employment into an intervention group or wait-list control group. Hours of independent participation in target activities were collected before and after the 13-week initial intervention/waiting period, and at 52 weeks for intervention participants.Results: Six of the 12 intervention participants selected an activity and increased hours of independent participation following 13 weeks in the Keeping Active (KA) program and eight were independently accessing their selected activity at 52-week follow-up. None of the 19 wait-list participants increased their independent participation after 13 weeks. Conclusions:The intervention was effective and highlighted the need to account for factors such as participant choice in evaluation of individualised programs.