Gabria's life: young adults with a disability in the transition to adulthood

The study examines the transition from secondary school to adult life for young adults with intellectual disabilities in Flanders, Belgium, particularly after inclusive schooling. The authors note that post-secondary life brings opportunities and uncertainty, with high societal demands, changing support systems, and fragmented policy domains (education, work, welfare) that often lack continuity. Young people with intellectual disabilities risk remaining at home dependent on families, face pressures for self-determination, and encounter administrative and structural barriers when school-based supports end. The research focuses on listening to young adults’ voices to understand what matters at this transition point. The Flemish context features dispersed and inflexible benefits, historical reliance on segregated care pathways, long waiting lists, and limited inclusive options for post-school work and living. Despite policy shifts toward inclusion following the UNCRPD, segregated practices persist and continuity of support after inclusive schooling is weak. Against this backdrop, the study follows “Gabria,” a young woman with Down syndrome, to explore how desires and support needs interweave across life domains when building an inclusive adult life.

Qualitative narrative inquiry using a “walking-with” approach. The first author engaged relationally with the focal participant (Gabria) and her network over several years (approximately monthly encounters from November 2018 to January 2021). The method emphasized co-exploration of events, decisions, and actions in real contexts rather than imposing a predefined research design. Data were examined as ‘events’ inspired by Deleuzian philosophy, treating events as instantaneous snapshots within ongoing processes. Analysis followed ‘thinking with theory,’ using concepts as method (desire and support) to generate insights beyond simple representation. Three key life events were mapped and analysed: (1) a network meeting at Gabria’s home using Plan P (a self-advocacy-derived, person-led brainstorming-to-action method) to articulate desires and goals; (2) a follow-up meeting in a pub refining priorities (e.g., dancing/acting, travel, continued learning, independence); and (3) an introduction/registration meeting at a new dance-focused school, using a portfolio and photo album to communicate strengths, support needs, and goals. The process centred on person-led communication (writing, visuals), iterative brainstorming, and coordination with family and support workers. Ethical procedures followed Ghent University protocols, with informed consent and participant approval of the final article.

• Desire as an affirmative, productive force: The participant insists on being approached as a full person whose desires (to work, dance/act, study, live independently, have a relationship and family) guide decisions across domains. She resists disconnected, single-domain choices.
• Holistic, person-centered planning: Effective transition support requires starting from the person’s passions and strengths and considering interconnected life domains (education, work, living, relationships, mobility, leisure) rather than isolating one.
• Importance of local/situated knowledge and network: Repeated, relational meetings with family, support workers, and allies enabled articulation of desires, refinement of goals, and practical next steps. Iterative network sessions (with repetition and differentiation) build confidence and actionable paths.
• Specific support strategies: Beneficial supports include clear structure and concrete cues (e.g., floor markings for dance), visual aids (checklists, mind maps, photos, short videos), written expression before verbalization, patient communication, and physical strategies to facilitate speech (e.g., hand movements when stuttering).
• Systemic barriers and need for interagency coordination: Current Flemish care systems are fragmented and often inflexible, with benefits tied to segregated pathways and long waits. Support is too narrowly tied to single policy domains, undermining continuity. Interagency commitment and coordination are crucial to ensure continuous, holistic support that follows the person rather than forcing the person to fit the system.
• Time and pacing: Transition requires multiple years, careful pacing, and space to ‘stay with the trouble’—acknowledging doubts, blocks, and iterative problem-solving while maintaining focus on desires and inclusion.

The findings address the core question of what matters for young adults with intellectual disabilities at the post-secondary transition by demonstrating that desire-driven, person-centered planning, supported by strong relational networks, can orient decisions across intertwined life domains. Treating desire as an affirmative force reframes the participant from a deficit lens to a full person with complex, legitimate aspirations, challenging normative expectations of autonomous, self-sufficient adulthood and resisting reduction to single domains (e.g., ‘just work’). Practically, the study shows that iterative, event-based co-planning—using accessible communication methods—can translate desires into concrete steps (e.g., enrolling in dance-focused education, seeking acting opportunities, building independence skills). However, systemic fragmentation at the interfaces of education, work, and welfare hampers continuity. The discussion argues for interagency commitment and coordination so that support follows the person, enabling inclusive trajectories that align with passions and needs. By drawing on local and situated knowledge, the network can tailor supports, navigate bureaucratic hurdles, and maintain momentum despite uncertainty, ultimately promoting belonging and participation in community life.

The paper contributes a relational, concept-driven account of transition that centers desire and support. It shows that approaching young adults with intellectual disabilities as full, desiring persons and sustaining continuity of support across policy domains are essential to designing inclusive adult lives. For the focal participant, three co-planned events created time and space to clarify desires, align actions, and take concrete steps (e.g., pursuing dance/acting in a new school setting), while acknowledging difficulties and the need for ongoing adaptation. The authors advocate that systems be redrawn to fit young people rather than the reverse, with interagency commitment ensuring continuity beyond school. Practice should leverage local/situated knowledge, person-preferred communication, and iterative network meetings to translate desires into action. Future work can further develop and evaluate interagency models and person-led planning methods that operationalize these principles across varied contexts.

• Single-case, qualitative narrative limits generalizability; insights are context-specific to Flanders and to the participant’s circumstances and network.
• Data are intentionally partial, emergent, and co-constructed (per the methodological stance), which may introduce subjectivity and limit replicability.
• Absence of quantitative outcomes; no longitudinal outcome metrics beyond described events.
• System-level observations are based on participant/network experience and cited literature, not comprehensive policy evaluation.
• Data availability constraints (case materials unsuitable for dissemination) limit external verification.