Introduction: The aim of the work was to determine opportunities and threats for people with moderate intellectual disabilities (MID) in the context of political, economic, social and technological (PEST) factors.
Materials and methods: This work involved the method of the Community Action Board (CAB), which is a part of the RPAR (Rapid Policy Assessment and Response) methodology, for the in-depth legal analysis. The CAB was used at the second stage of the SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) – the assessment of selected PEST factors as opportunities and threats for people with MID.
Results: The most important threats included the implementation of international standards of integration of people with MID occurs without proper social and housing preparation; the lack of interdisciplinary activities by the state in creating public awareness about disabilities; the lack of help to parents at the time of birth of a child with MID. The most important opportunities included creating Internet-based platforms for information exchange, the ability of early support by all educational institutions, increasing access to the assistants of a disabled person, sheltered work, and protected flats.
Conclusions: 1. Unprepared inclusive education, a lack of sheltered employment, and a lack of personal or housing support, all cause social exclusion for people with MID. 2. A low level of awareness in Polish society of disabilities prevents effective social inclusion of people with MID. 3. The lack of a legal framework for supporting parents at the time of birth of a child with MID makes it difficult for the child to receive support. 4. The lack of online platforms for information exchange about access to services for people with MID limits access to such services.
