Impact of the Quality of Life Supports Model on the inclusion of students with disabilities in higher education: A scoping review.
Colleges praise inclusion but rarely deliver it, giving you clear evidence to demand better supports.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Gonzalo et al. (2024) looked at 21 studies about the Quality of Life Supports Model.
They wanted to see if colleges really use this model for students with disabilities.
The team checked papers from many countries and different college settings.
What they found
Most colleges talk about inclusion but still run separate programs.
Only a few schools truly follow the QOLSM idea of full rights-based inclusion.
The gap between theory and practice is large across all 21 studies.
How this fits with other research
Whaling et al. (2025) built a new tool called QoLI-PE that brings QOLSM ideas down to elementary school.
This extends the model to younger kids and shows it can work when schools commit.
Jackson et al. (2025) found Saudi universities have plenty of assistive tech, yet students still struggle.
This matches Óscar's finding that tools alone do not create inclusion.
Wu et al. (2024) showed parents and students with IDD expect less from college.
Lower expectations may explain why schools get away with weak inclusion efforts.
Why it matters
You can use this review to push your college partners past lip service.
Show them the gap Óscar found and pair it with the QoLI-PE tool from Whaling et al. (2025) to build a real inclusion plan.
Start by asking one professor to swap a segregated activity for a supported inclusive one next week.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: The Quality of Life Supports Model (QOLSM) is a well-suited framework for enhancing the inclusion of students with disabilities in higher education. No research aimed at assessing its impact has been identified. AIMS: This review aims to map the scientific literature to assess the current impact of QOLSM on higher education. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A Scoping Review of educational practices, policies, and cultures aimed at enhancing the quality of life for students with disabilities was conducted. Databases from EBSCOHost, ProQuest, and Scielo were employed to identify studies written in English or Spanish from 1978 to 2023. Four independent reviewers screened results for inclusion. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Out of 5361 records, 21 met the inclusion criteria. Students with developmental disabilities are the primary recipients of Quality-of-life support strategies. The reported educational practices were poorly aligned with the disability rights framework, the social-ecological model of disability, and the multidimensional Quality-of-Life construct. Specialized supports and mainstream settings were more common than generic supports and segregated settings. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: This review highlights the currently limited impact of the QOLSM in fostering the inclusion of students with disabilities in higher education. Conducting a systematic review or meta-analysis is not recommended at this stage.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2024 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104850