Doing, Being, and Belonging: A Photo Elicitation on the Meaning of Well-being of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

Adults with Intellectual and developmental disabilities disproportionately experience poverty, social isolation, and may have more co-occurring chronic health conditions than the general population. Interventions aimed at improving health outcomes for people with IDD typically focus on physical activity, with few considering other causes of poorer health outcomes. Few interventions address health from a holistic perspective. This study adds a better understanding of what is important to adults with IDD think about wellness. Understanding the day to day experiences of people with IDD can improve interventions and supports. A descriptive qualitative research approach was used to answer the research question “How do adults with IDD describe health and wellness?” Photo elicitation was used to develop narratives from ten adults with IDD to provide a qualitative description of health and wellness. Three themes emerged from this narrative: Doing, Being, and Belonging. These three themes highlight the importance of meaningful activities, positive self-identity, and social inclusion as key factors contributing to overall well-being. Recommendations for future research include the use of research techniques such as photography that promote the inclusion of people with IDD in research. Photo narrative proved to be an effective tool for including people with IDD in this project, allowing participants to share their full experience. Further research should consider upstream factors for health disparities and should consider individual and community level investigations on how best to enhance the environments in which people with IDD live and work and how these environments affect their health.