Applying the Concept of Quality of Life
At its core, the concept of quality of life makes
us think differently about people with intellectual
disabilities and how we might bring about change
at both the individual and societal level to enhance
their well-being and reduce their exclusion from the
mainstream of society. To that end, the application
of the concept of quality of life to persons with
intellectual disabilities is based on five principles:
1. The primary purpose for applying the concept of
quality of life is to enhance an individual’s wellbeing.
2. Quality of life needs to be applied in light of the
individual’s cultural and ethnic heritage.
3. The aims of any quality of life-oriented program
should be to collaborate for change at the personal,
program, community, and national levels.
4. Quality of life applications should enhance the
degree of personal control and individual opportunity
exerted by the individual in relation to
their activities, interventions, and environments.
5. Quality of life should occupy a prominent role
in gathering evidence, especially in identifying
the significant predictors of a life of quality and
the impact of targeting resources to maximize
positive effects.
Social System Actions
These five application principles suggest a
number of actions regarding social systems. As
shown in Figure 1, these actions occur in reference
to the core quality of life domains discussed earlier
and within the context of four levels of any social
system: people, programs, communities, and nations.
People pursuing a life of quality. Individuals with
intellectual disabilities are already applying the concept
of quality of life. Specifically, throughout the
world we are seeing (a) strong self-advocacy movements
directed at increasing opportunities to participate
in the mainstream of life, associated with
increased inclusion, equity, and choices; (b) provision
of increased individual supports within regular
environments; and (c) participation of people with
intellectual disabilities in major activities, such as
decision-making, person-centered planning, and
participatory action research.