Research Snapshot: Sibling Relationships and Developmental Disability Services: From Coerced Care to Entitlement

Key findings from a study on the systems that structure unpaid care work by family members of people with intellectual disabilities in Ontario

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Social service policies often neglect the right of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (ID) to exercise agency and shape their own lives. Early policies portrayed people with ID as posing financial and social burdens on their families.

This research explores how financial reforms along with budget cuts in Ontario’s developmental services system have placed increased pressure on families of people with ID.

This research builds on our growing understanding of the Family Structure component of the Vanier Institute’s Family Diversities and Wellbeing Framework.

Spagnuolo, N., Boulanger, J., & Ries, H. (2025). Sibling relationships and developmental disability services: From coerced care to entitlement. Disability Studies Quarterly, 44(2).  https://doi.org/10.18061/dsq.v44i2.7690