Variations in living conditions and increased categorisation : Current trends for people with intellectual disabilities in Sweden

• During the 1990s a new law appeared in Sweden regarding individual rights and disability. The responsibility to provide support and services such as education for persons with intellectual disabilities became decentralized to the individual municipalities and an end came to institutionalisation. In the meantime, community development was dominated by economical problems and activities within the education-, healthcare-, and social services- areas became increasingly performed under privatised management (though the public sector still accounted for the absolute majority of the financing). It has been noted that living conditions for persons with intellectual disabilities are today similar to those in the 1990s. At the same time, developments point to changes where despite similarities in the situation for persons with intellectual disabilities there are increasing variations in living conditions within the group. Factors such as choice of organisation, economical conditions, political governance etc on a local level have together with an increased emphasis on the individual’s ability to communicate and argue for their best interests led to local and individual differences in living conditions and living situation. Deinstitutionalisation happened in the beginning of the 2000s and since then there has been a steady increase in group homes and day care centres in the private sector. During the past 15 years there has been a marked increase in the number of children and young adults being categorised as intellectually disabled. This paper aims to discuss the development in Sweden for persons with an intellectual disability, partly as a process from relative similarity to increased variation, partly as a process where “normality” is diminishing and categorisation is increasing.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Övrig annan samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Intellectual disabilities

Living conditions

Categorisation

Decentralization

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)