Conceptualizing the Concept of Quality
of Life in the Field of Intellectual
Disabilities
Most conceptions of quality of life share these
common features: general feelings of well-being,
feelings of positive social involvement, and opportunities
to achieve personal potential. Quality of
life might best be viewed as a sensitizing concept
(rather than a definitive one) relevant to public
policy determination; evaluation of services; and
development of innovative local, national, and international
programs. However, despite the wideranging
implications of this conceptual view of
quality of life, it remains a notion rooted in individual
perceptions and values and capable of contributing
to the identification of necessary supports
and services. In fact, individual perceptions and values—the
subjective views of the person—are recognized
as a key facet of quality of life by virtually
all contemporary researchers. This is not to say that
objective measures (e.g., economic status) are not
important, but the relationship between such measures
and personal sense of well-being is modest.