[[alternative]]Are They Social Members?—The Lives of Two Young Adults with Intellectual Disability

[[abstract]]Are They Social Members?—The Lives of Two Young Adults with Intellectual Disability ABSTRACT Taking two cases as the examples, the lives of young adults with intellectual disability (ID) were explored in this qualitative study. The data was collected within seven months through participation observation and interviewing with Haw, Hwai, and other 14 participants including parents, siblings, workmates, teachers, classmates, and neighbors. As the results, the daily lives of two young adults with intellectual disabilities were described and five core themes were synthesized: (1) Work not only allows Haw to become a productive and independent person but also makes his lives more meaningful. (2) Parents’ love and caring enable their ID child to integrate into the community but too much worry and protection may hold back their further participation. (3) With low-functioning characteristics and the label of ID, the young adults are treated differently and may experience more difficulties getting jobs and making friends. (4) The experience of interacting with others affects ID young adults’ self value and self concept. (5) More opportunity to participate a variety of social activities, play multiple social roles with counterparts, and gain social supports, more chances for them to be integrated successfully in the society. Taken together, young adults with ID can become true social members only when they have more opportunity of participation and social supports which promote their social relationship with others. In other words, social supports and participation determines the quality of live young adults with ID may experience.