Exploring Community Participation by People with Intellectual Disabilities in Rural Communities: Obstacles, Opportunities and Strategies

This research aims to explore community participation of people with intellectual disabilities in rural communities, focusing on obstacles, opportunities and propose strategies to enhance their inclusion. Community participation facilitates the social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities for them to acquire social skills through interaction with others and skill development. People with intellectual disabilities encounter discrimination, lack of knowledge and skills to engage in community life. The study is premised on human rights and social inclusion approaches to disability issues. The former emphasizes the need for society to create opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities to participate in community activities, whilst the latter stresses the removal of barriers to ensure that their right to participation is fulfilled. This qualitative research employed semi structured interviews to collect data from 4 individuals with intellectual disabilities, 6 family members and 2 community members who were purposively selected. The study found that opportunities for community participation were not utilized by people with intellectual disabilities due to stigma, discrimination and lack of accessible support services. The study suggests raising community awareness on the rights of people with intellectual disabilities, enhancing local support networks, and developing community resources that are accessible and welcoming to all.