A Social-Ecological Approach to Inclusive Research With People With Intellectual Disability

Inclusive research reflects a societal shift in how disability is understood from deficit-based to a social-ecological model. The purpose of this article is to delineate the barriers to and supports for inclusive research and the outcomes that are achieved through inclusive research using a social-ecological approach. In the social-ecological framing of inclusive research, a strength-based understanding of disability and the barriers to inclusive research were emphasized. The supports model was employed to describe the role of individual and environmental supports for the inclusion of researchers with intellectual disability. Personal, research, and social outcomes of inclusive research, mediated by supports, were explained. These outcomes interactively make changes in the context where inclusive research is conducted, further enhancing outcomes.