Intellectual disability and independent living: Professionals' views via a Delphi study.

BACKGROUND: The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) states that people have the right to decide where to live and with whom. Professionals play a key role in supporting processes for independent living (IL). This research aimed to identify which ideas generated more or less consensus among professionals regarding the role of different agents involved in the processes of IL in Spain. METHOD: The Delphi method was applied to an expert panel of 25 professionals. RESULTS: A high consensus was reached regarding the role that people with intellectual disabilities, their families and their natural support networks play in supporting IL processes, but there was less consensus on the role played by organizations and professionals. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlights the need to promote practices that favour the decision-making capacity of individuals to move towards models of support based on community and the human rights model.

The role of professionals in promoting independent living: Perspectives of self-advocates and front-line managers.

BACKGROUND: Support from professionals plays an important role in helping people with intellectual disabilities to live an independent life. This research aims to analyse the role played by support professionals based on the perceptions of the professionals and self-advocates with intellectual disabilities. The research was conducted in Catalonia (Spain). METHOD: A total of 33 interviews were conducted with front-line managers and 10 focus groups with 72 self-advocates. These were recorded and transcribed, and then analysed using thematic content analysis. RESULTS: Self-advocates particularly value professionals' interpersonal skills and emotional support. Front-line managers and self-advocates highlight training actions aimed at enhancing autonomy in the home and propose fostering natural supports and increasing the involvement of people with disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: Making progress in the rights of people with intellectual disabilities to an independent life requires requires transforming the support model, promoting decision making among people with intellectual disabilities, and strengthening interpersonal skills linked to emotional support in the training of professionals.