Evolving Support Needs in Small Option Homes in Nova Scotia: Policy Implications on Persons with Intellectual Disabilities

Recent legal events in Nova Scotia (NS) prompted the examination and reform of the provincial Disability Support Program (DSP). This initiative, coupled with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, revealed devastating impacts of policy structures on persons labelled with intellectual disabilities (PWID). The present study examines how Nova Scotia Disability Support Program policies impact persons with intellectual disabilities experiencing increasing support needs while living in small option homes. Existing research focuses on group home settings, with nothing specific to NS, nor DSP policies. Guided by the theoretical frameworks of critical disability theory and intersectionality, and the analytical frameworks of critical policy analysis and Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (Hankivsky et al., 2014), a text-based policy analysis was conducted on DSP policies. The potential lived impacts of identified themes from the analysis were illuminated through two composite stories. The analysis revealed themes of medicalization, dis/empowerment, and colonial structures. These themes were situated within larger contexts of institutional ideologies, static beliefs about PWID, and intersectional complexities of accessing DSP supports. This study demonstrated the importance of connecting policy with lived impact during policy reform. Future research should further investigate how varied identities impact how PWID access DSP supports. Future policy reform must center lived experience throughout the entire process, and center the question “who am I impacting, and how?” throughout each point of change. Keywords: Intellectual Disability, Disability Support Program, Small Option Home (SOH), Human Rights Remedy, Support Needs, Ageing in Place, Intersectional