Whether residing in a large industrial city or a small village in a rural area, the exercise of self-determination is linked to a high quality of life for people with all forms of disability. But what is self-determination? Viewed from a social-ecological perspective, self-determination refers to an individual’s capacity to exercise the degree of control they desire within the context of their relationships with other persons, groups, systems, and/or cultures over those areas of life that are important to them (Abery, Olson, Poetz, & Smith, 2019).

The construct includes, but is not limited to, an individual’s causal agency (Shogren, Wehmeyer, Palmer, Rifenbark, & Little, 2015). It also focuses on the goodness-of-fit people experience between desired and actual levels of personal control. Self-determination, accordingly, is the product of both the person and the environment—of the person using the skills, knowledge, and beliefs at his/ her disposal to act on the environment with the goal of obtaining valued and desired outcomes. Self-determination is viewed as driven by the intrinsic motivation of all people to be the primary determiner of their thoughts, feelings, and behavior and involves, but is not synonymous with independence and autonomy. Rather, it entails the person determining in what contexts and to what degree they desire to exercise control over various aspects of their lives, share this control with trusted others, or voluntarily relinquish it.

The degree to which people are able to exercise self-determination is facilitated by the skills, knowledge and attitudes/belief they possess. Skills supportive of self-determination include: informed choice and decision-making; the setting of personal goals; problem-solving; advocating for oneself; and communicating effectively with others. Knowledge of the one’s rights; strengths and challenges, preferences (i.e., likes and dislikes); and the service system also contribute to self-determination. The third set of characteristics associated with self-determination are a person’s attitudes and beliefs. Those supportive of self-determination include: an internal locus of control and a high sense of self-efficacy; self-confidence in one’s personal capacities; resilience; the willingness to take reasonable risks and confront life’s challenges; and a sense of determination.

As Walker and colleagues have noted, the advantage of a social-ecological approach to understanding self-determination is that it is not a deficit, but rather, a strength-based framework. It also does not include the assumption that a person with a disability needs to change or develop additional personal capacities to exercise self-determination. Instead, those skills, attitudes/beliefs and knowledge bases originally conceptualized as “necessary” for self-determination are viewed as facilitators that support but are not needed for its exercise if one has a supportive environment. This approach allows for variation in the manner in which self-determination is conceptualized in various cultures. These differences may result in quite a dramatic variation in the levels of control being exercised by individuals. In some cultures, for example, personal control is highly valued, while in others a more collectivist approach is taken. Some cultures have a long-standing history of supporting self-determination of their people and reinforcing its exercise, while others tend to be more selective, upholding the rights of only select groups to exercise self-determination, while denying this right to a host of marginalized groups, including persons with disabilities.

Although some individuals view self-determination as an outcome in and of itself, we prefer to think of it as a process that serves as a mean to an end. The question one should therefore ask is, to what extent do individuals with disabilities who are self-determined experience positive life outcomes?

Over the past 30-years, a substantial number of studies have been undertaken that document the impact of self-determination. Research findings indicate that self-determination predicts employment as well as community access and participation. Persons who exercise higher levels of self-determination are more likely to be employed and receive a higher wage and better benefits than those who have lower levels of self-determination (Shogren & Shaw, 2016; Shogren, Wehmeyer, Palmer, Rifenbark, & Little, 2015). People who are self-determined are also more likely to live independently and both develop and maintain positive social relationships (Martorell, Gutierrez-Rechacha, Pereda, & Ayuso-Mateos, 2008). The exercise of self-determination is associated with greater access to inclusive residential opportunities (Shogren & Shaw, 2016), increased community participation (McGuire & McDonnell, 2008), success in postsecondary education (Anctil, Ishikawa, & Scott, 2008), and more positive recreation and leisure outcomes (McGuire & McDonnell). As one might expect given these findings, people with disabilities who exercise higher levels of self-determination experience an enhanced quality of life.