The Nature and Frequency of Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Program Evaluation

Abstract

Although evaluation theorists over the last two decades have argued for the importance of including stakeholders from marginalized groups in program planning and research, little is known about the degree of inclusion in program evaluation practice. In particular, we know little about the type and level of inclusion of people with intellectual, developmental, and psychiatric disabilities in the evaluation of programs that aim to serve them. Through a content analysis of articles published in the last decade describing evaluations of programs for people with these types of disabilities, this article describes which stakeholders have been included in evaluations, how program recipient input was obtained, and in which stages of the evaluation stakeholder participation occurred. The findings indicate that program recipient disability type (developmental, psychiatric, or other) may predict type and level of inclusion, and inclusion tends to occur in later parts of the evaluation process.