Background In this study we evaluated the long-term impact of a project in which families were individually supported in the realisation of personal future plans in the city of Almere, the Netherlands (2004–2006). Method We used fourth-generation evaluation principles. Data collection consisted of semistructured interviews with family members and adults with intellectual disability as well as focus groups with both groups. Photovoice was used as a strategy to engage 4 young adults with Down syndrome in the research. The results of the photovoice were presented to the community at a town hall meeting. The data were coded and common themes were created. Results The majority of the participants evaluated the project as having a positive impact on their quality of life. Conclusions The results of the study support individual future planning for young adults with intellectual disability and their families in the transition to adulthood.

Background: To build capacity among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to become co‐researchers they need the opportunity to learn about research.Method: An inclusive research team developed an online training to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to serve as co‐researchers. Seven participants were recruited as pilot trainees. The co‐researcher training consisted of two 1‐h training sessions. Pre‐ and post‐surveys and a focus group were conducted to examine participant experiences with the co‐researcher training.Results: The participants were actively engaged during the co‐researcher training sessions and shared they had a positive experience with it. They expressed that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities add value to the research team because of their lived experiences.Conclusion: The co‐researcher training can instill a baseline level of knowledge about research in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and can be adjusted for different types of research in different settings and organisations.Lay summary: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities would like to learn more about research. They would also like to learn more about how to do research. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities who work on research are called co‐researchers. Two researchers and a co‐researcher with disability wrote together about research for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Seven people with intellectual and developmental disabilities took part in the class. They answered questions about how they liked the class. They also gave their opinion about research. They learned about what research is and how to do research. The class can be changed so that it can be used by other organizations.

The literature on inclusive research has established its relationship with self-advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities. Self-advocacy has been described as both a requirement and a result of inclusive research. Additionally, the process of becoming an inclusive researcher can be seen as self-advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities. As inclusive research continues to become more prominent, and more people with intellectual disabilities become inclusive researchers, we need to continue to consider this fundamental relationship and how self-advocacy and inclusive research can inform and support each other. In this paper, we first discuss the history of self-advocacy and inclusive research and what inclusive researchers have shared about the relationship between self-advocacy and inclusive research. We then present the experiences of an inclusive researcher with intellectual disability with self-advocacy and how the process of becoming an inclusive researcher impacted those experiences. We conclude the paper with reflections on how future inclusive research should consider the role of self-advocacy.

A key feature of inclusive research is the accessibility of research procedures to meaningfully engage people with intellectual disabilities in research processes. Creating accessible research procedures requires innovations in methods traditionally used in research. This paper describes how the Lifeline Interview Method by Assink and Schroots was adapted and implemented in a study using life story research to better understand the experiences of older adults with intellectual disabilities. Twelve adults with intellectual disabilities over the age of 50 participated between two and seven times in interviews about their life histories. The interviewer assisted in the construction of timelines of key events in the participants’ individual life stories, and the participants decorated their lifelines throughout the course of the interviews. The lifeline process was an effective tool to engage the participants in the research process, support participation, and provide access for people with intellectual disabilities to retrieve their life experiences. Challenges in the lifeline process included barriers to gathering sufficient information to construct timelines and gatekeepers withholding access to information.