Evidence suggests that integrated support, combining both natural and formal supports, is often essential for individuals with developmental disabilities to achieve their preferred quality of life. However, studies are limited on how to organize supports so that people with developmental disabilities and their families find a balance between…

This article discusses a new interdisciplinary, mixed-methods approach to using data from the first British Birth Cohort Study, the National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD, 1946). It emerges from a collaboration between two historians of postwar Britain and a mixed-methods life course studies researcher. Our approach brings together…

This study focuses on the subjective experience of the living conditions of adults with intellectual disabilities as related to the Uppsala Quality of Life model (UQoL2). Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted to study issues raised by people with intellectual disabilities. Study participants had their own home, either in an ordinary…

This study examined life satisfaction of former gifted students who graduated from a gifted program in Vietnam 10 years ago. The authors surveyed adults in their mid- to late-20s to discover whether being identified as gifted during their high school years impacted their quality of life as adults. The research instrument that was used for this…

Ample research exists that discusses the use of auditory rehabilitation with individuals who utilize hearing aids; however, there is little qualitative evidence to support its use with individuals who utilize cochlear implants. This study utilized a qualitative methodology to examine the phenomenon recipients of cochlear implants and their spouses…

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are often associated with intellectual disability (ID). ASD-specific group concepts usually focus on people on a high functioning level. The Autism-Competence-Group (AutCom) combines a psycho-educative approach with music and dance/movement interventions in adults with ASD and ID. AutCom includes 16 structured…

Six deaf adults defined quality of life (QOL) in personal interviews. Questions were based on an eight-domain QOL framework: physical well-being, emotional well-being, interpersonal relations, social inclusion, personal development, material well-being, self-determination, and rights (Schalock & Alonso, 2002). The interview process had three…

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 30 Australian adults with intellectual disabilities to assess their values, views, and preferences regarding home, work, leisure, and relationships. Results found discrepancies between their lifestyle conditions and preferences and the principles and values of some programming philosophies adopted by…

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a multisystem genetic disorder characterized by short stature, muscular hypotonia, hyperphagia, obesity, maladaptive behaviour, hypogonadism and partial growth hormone (GH) deficiency (GHD). Severe GHD of other aetiologies has been shown to affect mood and quality of life negatively, and there are reports of…

This report was prepared as part of Mississippi's reporting requirements for Public Law 100-146, the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act Amendments of 1987. It contains the results of 300 in-person interviews determine their satisfaction with services. A descriptive analysis of the interviews is presented in six chapters…

Use and non-use of assistive technology by people with physical disabilities were explored. Also examined were the beliefs subjects held about technology use and the quality of their lives. The study began in 1986 with five women with severe cerebral palsy and five men with spinal cord injuries. All participants were equipped with one or more…

A nationwide telephone survey of 1000 non-institutionalized disabled Americans aged 16 and over was conducted to examine the impact of disability on the quality of respondents' lives--their work, social life, daily activities, education, and personal life, as well as to identify barriers to their inclusion in the American mainstream. Major…

This evaluation project was designed to assess 37 persons (ages 21-72) who had moved from intermediate care facilities or skilled nursing facilities into innovative one-person or two-person community integrated living arrangements as a result of the Supported Placements in Integrated Community Environments project. The 37 persons had severe or…

This report describes the methodology used in an evaluation study to measure the effectiveness of the West End Special Education Local Plan Area's program for improving the transition of special needs students from secondary school into adult life. Goals of the San Bernardino, California, study included measuring students' quality of life upon…

This study examined the impact of deinstitutionalization of the mentally retarded on their communities, the extent of availability of support services, and the extent to which the Connecticut Department of Mental Retardation assures adequate quality of support services and day programs for people with mental retardation living in community…