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In Quality of Life and Intellectual Disability: Knowledge Application to Other Social and Educational Challenges, editors Roy I. Brown and Rhonda M. Faragher (2014), focus on what they characterize as the emerging field of Quality of Life (QOL) research that has been developing within studies focusing on intellectual and developmental disabilities (I&DD). Brown and Faragher show that the research enhances our understanding of QOL and family quality of life (FQOL), and helps us to see that we can utilize this information in the development of policies and practices that align with the principles of QOL to enhance the lives of not only those individuals with a disability, but of people in general. They hope to provide both a reorientation of the ways in which we approach life’s challenging problems and demands, and a framework for dealing with these, with a particular focus on families with members who have disabilities, their helpers, and their service providers.

This study explored the experiences of 14 young people (aged 16 to 24) with a disability, who had accessed social services within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) within 12 months of the dates during which the study was conducted. Through in-person and online focus groups, youth were asked to highlight their programs’ positive and constructive attributes and to makes suggestions about how these services could be improved. Content analysis of the semi-structured interviews showed that on the positive side, programs offered a place to belong, an opportunity to share their feelings, and a safe space. The analysis also showed that programs could be enhanced through reducing the size of the groups and increasing the number of sessions. Suggestions for future programs were mixed with some participants preferring disability-focused groups and others preferring groups that are inclusive of all youth.