Evaluating housing design for people with intellectual disabilities: Expert panel perspectives on key aspects of friendly housing

Access to adequate housing is a fundamental right for people with intellectual disabilities; however, validated frameworks to assess inclusive housing environments remain limited. This study employed a multi-phase expert panel with 49 participants from four social profiles, including self-advocates with intellectual disabilities. Twenty-five indicators were assessed across three strategic dimensions—space, infrastructure, and management—using Likert-scale ratings and optional qualitative comments. Descriptive statistics and variance analyses were used to examine levels of agreement and differences between profiles, while qualitative input helped contextualise the quantitative findings. Indicators related to safety, universal design, and usability received the highest ratings. Differences emerged between profiles regarding housing typologies, autonomy, and decision-making, with the lowest consensus observed for institutional and individual housing models. The findings identify key strategic factors for inclusive housing and reveal tensions between residential models. The indicator system offers an empirically grounded basis to inform friendly housing policy and practice.