Schalock Quality of Life Model

The Schalock and Verdugo Quality of Life model is a multidimensional framework for conceptualizing and measuring quality of life among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Drawing on cross-cultural and empirical work synthesized in their 2002 Handbook on Quality of Life for Human Service Practitioners, Schalock and Verdugo define quality of life as a composite of eight core domains: emotional well-being, interpersonal relations, material well-being, personal development, physical well-being, self-determination, social inclusion, and rights. These domains are organized under three higher-order factors — independence, social participation, and well-being — that give the model a coherent structure. Crucially, each domain is measured using both objective indicators, such as observable life conditions, and subjective indicators, such as the person's own satisfaction, recognizing that quality of life has both an external and an experienced face. The framework is designed not only to describe a person's quality of life but to drive person-centered planning and to evaluate whether services actually improve the outcomes that matter to people.