Think about the lives of most Canadians. Life starts with family, growing up at home, being loved and wanted, going to playschool, childcare and/or kindergarten and school, having and making friends throughout the journey, having friends and family who support you and your dreams, developing a career identity, participating in community activities, being a teenager, developing a positive sense of self over time, having dreams, playing sports, possibly involved in music/dance/art, going to college/university, traveling, falling in love, getting a job, pursuing a career, perhaps owning a business, finding a soulmate, a home of your own, having friends over for dinner, looking after your parents, growing older and continuing to contribute at every step of the way, it is assumed and expected that you will grow, relate, adapt, contribute and be included in the fullness of community life amidst your family, friends, and colleagues.

Inclusion happens when the lives of children and adults with intellectual disabilities unfold no differently; immersed together with their non-disabled peers in the same pathways and experience of life common to us all.