Day service programmes for people with a severe intellectual disability and quality of life

Abstract

This study focuses on the contributions of a community and campus based day programme to the quality of life of programme participants with a severe level of intellectual disability from the perspective of parents and staff. Qualitative interviews were carried out with parents and staff to explore the contribution that the two programmes had to participants' quality of life in the 6 months since the community based programme began. Schalock and Keith's Quality of Life Questionnaire was administered to supplement the qualitative data. Results indicated that the community based programme contributed more to participants' quality of life over the preceding 6 months than the campus based programme. This study revealed that community based participants' new-found social roles, their hobbies and their work opportunities had a positive effect on their quality of life.