The Importance of Self-Determination to the Quality of Life of People with Intellectual Disability: A Perspective.

Michael L Wehmeyer

doi:10.3390/ijerph17197121

Abstract

There is both an intuitive and theoretical link between self-determination and quality of life for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Theoretically, definitions of self-determination have framed the construct with regard to its contribution to a person’s overall quality of life, while theoretical frameworks of quality of life have included self-determination among the core dimensions contributing to enhanced quality of life. These theoretical linkages have been supported by research on the quality of life and self-determination of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the relationships between these constructs. This article provides an overview of theoretical frameworks of self-determination, their relationship with theoretical frameworks of quality of life, and research pertaining to these constructs with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It is concluded that self-determination and quality of life are important constructs in designing supports that enable people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and that an important means to enhance the quality of life of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is to promote and enable people to be self-determined.

Highlights

There has been building, over the past four decades, a movement toward the application of strengths-based approaches to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities [1].It can be argued that the earliest contributions to this movement came with the application of the quality of life construct to the field [2]
The quality-of-life conceptual model that has driven the application of this construct as an overarching principle for service delivery, as forwarded by Schalock and Keith, consists of eight domains, or core dimensions, namely personal development, self-determination, interpersonal relations, social inclusion, rights, emotional well-being, physical well-being, and material well-being [3,4]
The first mention of the importance of self-determination to the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities occurred in a 1972 chapter by Swedish philosopher Bengt Nirje, who argued for the right of people with intellectual disability to live

Summary

Introduction

There has been building, over the past four decades, a movement toward the application of strengths-based approaches to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities [1].It can be argued that the earliest contributions to this movement came with the application of the quality of life construct to the field [2]. The quality-of-life conceptual model that has driven the application of this construct as an overarching principle for service delivery, as forwarded by Schalock and Keith, consists of eight domains, or core dimensions, namely personal development, self-determination, interpersonal relations, social inclusion, rights, emotional well-being, physical well-being, and material well-being [3,4]. Another construct that has been instrumental in the shift from a deficits approach to intellectual and developmental disabilities to a strengths-based approach is the self-determination construct [5,6]. The first mention of the importance of self-determination to the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities occurred in a 1972 chapter by Swedish philosopher Bengt Nirje, who argued for the right of people with intellectual disability to live

Objectives

Discussion

Conclusion