Promoting Self‐Determination in Health and Medical Care: A Critical Component of Addressing Health Disparities in People with Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

Abstract As increased attention has been directed toward the disparities experienced by people with intellectual disabilities in achieving positive health outcomes, the importance of promoting the active involvement of people with intellectual disabilities in efforts to reduce such disparities and promote positive health and wellness outcomes has been acknowledged by researchers and policymakers. This parallels the larger movement within the disability field to promote the self‐determination and empowerment of people with intellectual disabilities. The authors more explicitly discuss the implications of self‐determination, as it has been conceptualized in the disability field, for promoting positive health and wellness outcomes in people with intellectual disabilities. They review the current research on self‐determination and its impact on health, as well as the implications of this research for the development of strategies that promote self‐determination in the achievement of health and wellness outcomes in people with intellectual disabilities. The authors posit the need to extend an understanding of the implications of self‐determination for promoting health in people with disabilities not only to the disability field, but also to the medical and public health fields. They also provide recommendations for future research and practice.