104 Michelle L. Bonati
Indicators of social inclusion within the quality of life framework include
community participation, valued social roles, and supports provided by a social network
(Simplican et al., 2015). Community participation includes tertiary education,
employment, and community activities, such as leisure activities, volunteering, and
accessing services. The concept of valued social roles is grounded in Wolfensberger’s
(1983) influential work on Social Role Valorization. People who are marginalised
can be supported to achieve the “good things in life” if they are afforded access to
valued social roles (Wolfensberger, Thomas, and Caruso, 1996, p. 12). A person’s
social network is comprised of all of the people with whom he or she regularly
interacts, including family, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances (Wrzus, Hänel,
Wagner and Neyer, 2013). Social networks share social capital through access to
informational, physical, or emotional support (Trainor et al., 2013). Moderating
factors for social inclusion include a protection of rights, community member atti-
tudes, accommodation in the community, and accessible transportation (Brown
et al., 2015). Mediating factors for social inclusion include the individual’s intel-
lectual functioning (Woodman et al., 2014), communication skills, social skills, and
self-determination (Howlin and Moss, 2012). Together, these objective indicators
and an individual’s perceptions of satisfaction determine the extent of social inclu-
sion experienced by an adult with ASD.
Similar to findings for adolescents (Biggs and Carter, 2016), adults with ASD
have been found to have lower levels of quality of life measures with social partic-
ipation being the factor most negatively impacted (van Heijst and Geurts, 2014).
The majority of adults with ASD with high support needs were not employed and
had limited engagement in the community (Graetz, 2010). Most adults with ASD
lived in their family home, and their parents had no expectation that they would be
able to live in the community. Leaving secondary school can cause an even greater
dependence on parents for adults with ASD and consequently lower the quality of
life, not only for the individual but their family as well (Howlin and Moss, 2012).
A two-pronged strategy is needed to achieve social inclusion for adults with ASD
post-school. First, systemic, structural barriers need to be confronted and addressed.
Second, person-centred approaches are needed to address individual capability and
needed supports to ensure adults with ASD can access opportunities for social
inclusion. Both of these approaches can be conceptualised through a framework
of developing social capital. Collective effort to develop social capital can benefit
others that are not directly involved in its creation (O’Brien and Fathaigh, 2005).
For example, disability advocates and legislators can collaborate to create laws to
prevent discrimination against the broader community of people with disabili-
ties. Policies and initiatives can also be implemented to combat negative attitudes
toward disability and provide funding support and resources necessary to achieve
quality of life outcomes. The purpose of these changes would be to ensure people
with ASD and other disabilities have access to the benefits of social capital and are
socially included in society.
The second approach occurs at the individual level through evidence-based
strategies to enhance communication skills, social skills, and self-determination, with