3. Methodology

Methodology

The central focus of this report is to better understand the experiences of young people with intellectual disability, specifically those with more significant support needs.

In undertaking the research, we wanted to learn more about young people’s hopes and aspirations for the future. We also wanted to learn more about their experiences of education, work and community, including how they influence the achievement of these aspirations. And we wanted to learn more about opportunities to drive better outcomes in the future.

We adopted various methods to examine these issues – anchored in understanding the experiences of young people with intellectual disability as well as challenges and opportunities across the system.

1. Conversations with young people and their carers

In partnership with Today Strategic Design, we had conversations with young people and carers about their lives and experiences. These conversations included young people from across different age groups, genders, geographies and cultural backgrounds.

The stories of these young people are included throughout the report. They have been told and shared by carers with select contributions from the young people themselves. While we recognise this builds understandings about past and current experiences, we also appreciate this is a limitation of our work.

Ongoing work is required to better capture the voices of young people directly.

2. Understanding sector perspectives

Building on our conversations with young people and carers, we identified six themes that had a particular impact and influence on young people’s experiences. Across each of these themes, we completed a targeted review of available research, position papers and government policy documents to understand how the system works overall to support positive outcomes for young people with intellectual disability and to identify system gaps that drive negative outcomes.

In parallel, we interviewed service and sector leaders to hear their perspectives on the most pressing challenges and opportunities across the system. This included interviews with leaders from peak bodies and support services, as well as academic researchers and disability advocates.

3. Proposing future priorities

We synthesised what we heard through our conversations and desktop research to draw linkages with the identified challenges faced by young people. Within each theme, we identified opportunities for system players to work differently so that they can more effectively support young people with intellectual disability.