The measurement of subjective wellbeing in people with intellectual disability in Australia

The importance of measuring quality of life, and most particularly the personal wellbeing of people with intellectual disabilities (ID), is now recognized. The measurement of wellbeing is an important component of program evaluation and can assist in the identification and planning of individualized support needs. There remains, however, a need for further research in this area. This paper describes a new scale, the Personal Wellbeing Index Intellectual Disability Scales (PWI-ID), which has been shown to be valid and reliable. Data is presented regarding its use in the measurement of wellbeing in people with ID and the focus of discussion is on its advantages and limitations.