Does Choice Influence Quality of Life for People With Mild Intellectual Disabilities?

Abstract

Consumer choice is a key concept in developmental disability intervention, but relatively little quantitative research has focused on the relationship between choice and quality of life. This study used data from Washington state's Division of Developmental Disabilities 2002 National Core Indicators study (Human Services Research Institute, 2001a, 2001b) to examine the relationship between choice and 3 quality-of-life indicators: community inclusion, rights, and opportunities for relationships. Consumers (N = 224) with mild intellectual disabilities participated in the study. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the influence of type of living arrangement and choice on quality of life. Consumers who lived in the community and made more choices had higher scores on quality-of-life indicators. The findings have implications for disability policy, practice, and future research.

How Adults With an Intellectual Disability Experience Bereavement and Grief: A Qualitative Exploration

“…While the relationship between choice and better quality of life has been well-documented (e.g. NeelyBarnes, Marcenko, & Weber, 2008) it is of little value if an individual's expressed choices are then ignored, which was a relatively common experience for the participants in the present study.…”

Employment and choice-making for adults with intellectual disability, autism, and down syndrome

“…Choice-making is an important component of self-determination, which is linked to several adult outcomes, including residential setting, quality of life, and better quality employment (Lachapelle et al, 2005;Neely-Barnes et al, 2008;Shogren et al, 2015;Wehmeyer & Bolding, 1999;Wehmeyer & Palmer, 2003). Employment was chosen as the dependent variable in this study, as in previous research (Martoell et al, 2008;Wehmeyer & Palmer, 2003), but choice-making and employment have an unclear causal relationship and future research is needed to better understand the relationship.…”

Choosing and choice making are not the same: Asking “what do you want for lunch?” is not self-determination

“…That is, their choices should affect their lives to the highest degree possible [8]. As Neely-Barnes et al [22] suggested, this should result in an improved quality of life, enhanced happiness, or determination of the best courses of action when confronted with a problem. The more opportunities there are for indi-viduals to make meaningful choices, the more control they will experience [21]; and it is believed that this increased control will be crucial in achieving self-selected goals.…”

“…However, the relationship between choice making and increased quality of life remains equivocal [14]. As Neely-Barnes et al [22] noted, choice making per se is not an indicator of improved quality of life. The extent to which choices are provided is important but the critical variable is the extent to which these choices are encouraged, respected, and supported.…”

“…Regrettably, there is a consistent pattern that reveals that the more severe an individual's disability, the fewer choice opportunities are provided [22,25,35]. Needless to say, this is unfortunate since all consumers need to be provided opportunities to make choices, regardless of their support needs or work placements.…”