Building Circles of Support for people with Intellectual Disabilities

Building Circles of Support for people with Intellectual Disabilities, a knowledge translation award project funded by the Health Research Board (HRB), aims to demonstrate examples of good practice in Circles of Support through case studies of positive lived experiences of participants with intellectual disabilities and the people in their Circles of Support.

The overall aim of the project is to use research information to develop resources to enhance the Circles of Support for adults with intellectual disabilities that can be used in person-centred planning processes.

For 15 years, IDS-TILDA has investigated what influences social inclusion and community participation for older adults with intellectual disabilities and the findings strongly supports individualised Circles of Support as necessary to enhance inclusion and participation.

A Circles of Support model describes how people receive support from different types of relationships – through Circles of Intimacy, Friendship, Participation, and Exchange.

Accessible resources including a downloadable booklet and videos were created based on the lived experiences of individuals with intellectual disabilities, their families, and wider Circles of Support.

We have collaborated closely with Stewarts Care in Dublin to develop these resources and have received support from partners, including the HSE, the National Federation of Voluntary Service Providers, and Temple University in the United States.

We hope that others can learn from the wonderful examples of supportive relationships demonstrated by our participants in these videos.

Meet the Team

Videos

Download our Booklet - Let's make it happen!

Building Circles of Support for people with Intellectual Disabilities, Accessible Multimedia Resources Launch