Personal Development and Inclusive Education in People With Intellectual Disability: A Subscale Aligned With the CRPD

Abstract

Personal development and inclusive education are fundamental rights. However, people with intellectual disability face significant barriers in accessing these rights. Empowering them is crucial to enable the exercise of their rights and achieve full social inclusion, which can be facilitated through tools that capture their experiences in personal development and education. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities mandates the collection of statistical data to inform policies, evaluate compliance, and identify barriers. The study aimed to refine and validate a subscale designed to monitor the fulfillment of rights to personal development and inclusive education, and to examine its relationship with age, gender, and type of education (inclusive or mainstream). A total of 237 people in Spain participated in the study, using the pilot self-report or third-party version of the subscale related to personal development and inclusive education rights, which is part of the #Rights4MeToo Scale. This group included 138 students with intellectual disability, 15 family members, and 84 professionals. The analyses confirmed that the subscale has adequate evidence of reliability and validity. No significant relationships were found between the rights to personal development and inclusive education and age, gender, or educational setting among participants. The final version of the subscale serves as a valuable tool for monitoring these rights, crucial for planning policy and interventions to improve the quality of life for people with intellectual disability. To maximize outcomes in personal development and inclusive education, comprehensive sexuality education, flexible educational environments, vocational training tailored to individual aspirations, and inclusive recreational opportunities are needed.