Individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) face disproportionate difficulties in accessing high-quality health care services, and experience poorer health outcomes and ultimately shorter lifespans than the general population. To help improve the lives of people with I/DD, Special Olympics has promoted the concept of Inclusive Health, a set of principles designed to ensure that people with I/DD have access to, and can fully participate in, their own health care decisions.

Special Olympics contracted with Leavitt Partners to better understand the unique access challenges for people with I/DD, the elements of care models that are consistent with principles of Inclusive Health, and options that incentivize payers and providers to adopt inclusive models of care. In a workshop during the Summer of 2025, Leavitt Partners and Institute for Exceptional Care (IEC) convened people with I/DD, their caregivers, physicians, payers, and health policy experts with state and federal expertise to discuss how to advance Inclusive Health models. Insights from that workshop are included in this policy brief.

Key takeaways include:
• The 10 million-plus Americans with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) have a range of needs, and their care can be complex.
• More comprehensive, integrated care and innovative payment models offer promise for improving outcomes and increasing efficiency.
• The success of these models is reliant on providers’ commitment to listening to and partnering with patients and families.

For questions or comments on the workshop, the policy brief and its findings, or how to get more involved in Special Olympics and Leavitt Partners’ work in Inclusive Health, please contact our experts below.

We also hosted a webinar to discuss these findings in further depth. Hear insights from experts and an individual with I/DD about how care models and payment mechanisms can be leveraged to support Inclusive Health. Watch Here

Download the White Paper