There is an increasing body of literature on the education of retarded adults; yet it appears to lack visibility because of recent origin, limitation mostly to journals and specialized publications, and general content with sparse references to adults. Three broad interest areas appear in the literature -- the rationale for such education, teaching techniques and teachers, and program and curricula. Vocational rehabilitation, the major area where retarded adults have found backing, supports the thinking that retardees have the potential to live in the community at a fair level of independence. Teaching techniques for them differ slightly in an emphasis on more motor skills, on task analysis with rewards at each step, and on clinical teaching, with more detailed records and observation. Literature on teachers is almost non-existent. Trends seem to be developing toward day care centers, sheltered workshops, and activity centers. Curricula reflect the missions of the centers, heavily weighted toward vocational rehabilitation. Most references are annotated. (Author)