The Minister’s draft regulation on Quality Assurance Measures under the Services and Supports to Promote the Social Inclusion of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act (2008) calls for every service agency to promote social inclusion. However, evidence outlining the dimensions of social inclusion is still limited. As a consequence, there is no real way to determine and measure whether service providers are successful in facilitating or achieving inclusion with the persons that they support. In a climate where funds are limited and resources are scarce, the ability to demonstrate achievement of outcomes becomes all the more important.

This project aims to develop a definition and a conceptual model of social inclusion and identify a set of relevant and valid indicators to measure the effectiveness of developmental services in Ontario. It includes the following objectives:

1. To establish a consensus on a definition and conceptual model of social inclusion to help service providers and policy makers plan services and measure their outcomes.
2. To define indicators relevant to the assessment of social inclusion.
3. To determine which data are available in Ontario to assess social inclusion (based on the previously defined list of indicators)
4. To identify research opportunities to strengthen our understanding of social inclusion.

Literature reviews will be completed to gather current scientific evidence and provide the foundation for the conceptual model of social inclusion. Through an iterative process, researchers, policy-makers, service managers, service consumers and their families will be consulted to help build a consensual understanding of social inclusion and its measurement. Pilot studies will be conducted to test the feasibility of the recommended indicators of social inclusion.

Virginie Cobigo, Investigator & Project lead, Queen’s University Roy Brown, Investigator, Emeritus Professor University of Calgary, Canada, Flinders University, Australia Yves Lachapelle, Investigator Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Rosemary Lysaght, Investigator, Queen’s University Lynn Martin, Investigator, Lakehead University Hélène Ouellette-Kuntz, Investigator, Queen’s University Heather Stuart, Investigator, Queen’s University Members of the MAPS Local Advisory Committees and the Consumer Committees

Social inclusion is the result of complex interactions between environmental and personal characteristics that allow a person to assume meaningful social roles which respect his or her personal choices, needs and expectations. For social inclusion to be successful, the person must be recognized and trusted as playing these roles in the community and must belong to a social network.