Community participation of people with intellectual disabilities. Building a model of analysis

Abstract

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities urges the effective promotion of community participation among individuals with disabilities. This article presents the development of an analytical model for community participation of individuals with intellectual disabilities, undertaken in two phases: literature review and validation through the assessment of 15 experts affiliated with service providers. The outcome is a graphical model that describes an individual’s community participation, linking them to relational dimensions and thereby proposing their potential for social inclusion. This model can be utilized in social policy to assess a territory’s potential for community participation of individuals with intellectual disabilities and it enhances the proposal of actions when defining support systems to ensure accessibility and community participation