The intellectual and developmental disability shared citizenship paradigm: its cross-cultural status, implementation and confirmation.
The shared-citizenship paradigm is already guiding IDD services worldwide, so you can use it right now to center rights and person-centered supports.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Subramaniam et al. (2023) sent a survey to IDD service providers around the world. They asked how the shared-citizenship paradigm shows up in daily work.
The paradigm puts rights, whole-life functioning, and person-centered supports at the center of every decision.
What they found
Teams on every continent said they already use the core ideas. They write individual plans, reshape whole agencies, and even test new practices through this lens.
The study found positive results: the model is moving from theory to real services.
How this fits with other research
Hewitt et al. (2013) warned that good small programs rarely grow. They saw no policy backbone to carry them. R et al. answer that concern: the citizenship paradigm is now crossing borders without waiting for top-down policy.
Jones et al. (2010) gave us 18 policy concepts to guide IDD work. R et al. show those concepts are alive in practice, not just on paper.
Yalon-Chamovitz (2009) asked for slower, plainer, stigma-free supports. The new survey confirms that these exact features are built into the citizenship model teams use today.
Why it matters
You can adopt the shared-citizenship lens today. Use it to write plans, train staff, or pick a new data question. It gives you a ready-made frame that peers across cultures already recognize and respect.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Dramatic changes in societal approaches to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and the services and supports they receive are reflected in a new paradigm that we name the shared citizenship paradigm. The shared citizenship paradigm (1) incorporates an updated and contemporary set of values and beliefs about people with IDD and their right to participate fully in all aspects of life and society; (2) is characterised by a holistic approach to IDD, a contextual model of human functioning, disability rights principles and person-centred implementation strategies; (3) incorporates the exponential growth in knowledge about the causes and characteristics of IDD and factors influencing the elimination of barriers to positive outcomes for people with IDD; and (4) is reflected in international covenants, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD), and in international policy goals and associated personal outcome domains. METHOD: We conducted a preliminary survey on the cross-cultural status of the shared citizenship paradigm with a small purposefully sampled international group of professionals known to have extensive knowledge, experience, and publications regarding their country's current IDD-related policies and practices. RESULTS: One or more paradigm components were evident to a moderate degree in the respondents' countries, and the paradigm is being used to provide individualised services and supports, to guide organisation transformation and systems change, and, to a lesser degree, to frame evidence-based inquiry. CONCLUSIONS: Core components of the shared citizenship paradigm are present internationally. To further enhance implementation and confirmation of the paradigm, we propose implementation strategies and confirmation techniques.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2023 · doi:10.1111/jir.12992