Boards of Disability Service Provider Organizations for Adults With Intellectual Disability and Their Role in the Delivery of Quality Service

Abstract

Provision of quality service by disability service providers for adults with intellectual disability is a core responsibility. It is central to access and participation in social, community goods, and services so that individuals are effectively supported in achieving their goals and aspirations and live a long life. Dimensions of quality service encompass how well the individual receives what they want, disability-related regulatory and legislative standards, kindness and professionalism, quality-of-life, and the extent of any breaches. Boards of disability service providers have ultimate responsibility for their organization’s service to ensure quality. They must appreciate and understand quality service dimensions in the context of the disability sector, collect and measure quality service data, hone their skills in weighing up and processing data, respond to user views, and enact improvement measures by way of directions to management. This article reviews board roles, membership, quality service dimensions, and mechanisms by which to obtain input data, process, and deliver outcomes contextualized to the requirements of boards of disability service providers for adults with intellectual disability. Furthermore, this article discusses a novel six-step implementation guide referred to as the SQUARE. That guide describes the functionary and cognitive elements required by boards to conduct effective quality service reviews.