Information and communication technology (ICT) has increased in importance and facilitates participation in several life areas throughout society. However, young adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability make less use ICT than the general population. Disability services staff play a central role in supporting and enabling service users in daily life, and their perceptions of ICT are important to their role in service provision. The aim of the study is to describe staff perceptions of the role of ICT and how it affects daily life in young adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability living in residential homes. Focus group interviews and individual interviews were conducted with staff working in residential homes in which young adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability live. All materials were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using latent content analysis. Staff perceived ICT and, more specifically, the Internet as being supportive of both daily life and social relationships of these young adults, but they also viewed ICT as posing social risks. Perceptions of and support for ICT were related to staff perceptions about what is appropriate and manageable in relation to an individual resident's functioning level. Staff members also considered the views of parents about appropriate content when providing support. Staff in residential homes for young adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability use their implicit moral judgment about the use of ICT by residents. Their enablement of and support for ICT are not primarily based on the service user's wishes or interests. This finding implies a risk that the organization of a conflict‐free service provision is a higher priority than service users' participation in social life.

Young adults with mild-to-moderate ID use ICT in their daily life. The social care context needs to be further investigated due to its influence on the young adults' access to ICT and need of support.

Municipalities request more knowledge about strategies for making ICT available. Despite the lack of comprehensive strategies for ICT, some Swedish municipalities have taken the initiative in this area.

Staff in residential care are key support people for young adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability in everyday life. The aim of this study was to identify how staff members work with young adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability to enable their independence and participation through Information and Communication Technology (ICT). A narrative approach was used to analyse focus group interviews with staff in a residential care setting. Staff members reported a variety of ways to position themselves in relation to the service-user when using ICT, such as advocates, moral guardians and enablers. These positions bring different consequences for the service-users to realize their rights as stated in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Organisational resources appear continuously in staff narratives as hindering or supporting in the use of ICT for participation purposes of young adults with ID.