PSYCHOLOGY DEALING WITH THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND SOCIAL INCLUSION OF PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL OR DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

Based on a participatory narrative perspective, processes are described of the last fifty years' progress towards the improvement of the quality of life and the rights of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities and towards full social inclusion. These processes also involve, in the course of time, other processes of redefining and transforming the support services and the professional roles of psychologists. In this context, it is becoming evident that the traditional fields of psychology are not the most appropriate for the functions that the new support models require. The psychology of social intervention can be an important element for progress in the construction of support and resources for the quality of life and social inclusion of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.