A Home of Your Own

Living in the Community for People with a Long History of Institutional Care

“…This research is highly relevant both in New Zealand and elsewhere, because it reflects current concerns about the benefits of deinstitutionalisation for people with learning disabilities. The research conclusions both further and support other research on community living policies (Allard, 1996;Hatton, 1996;Howard, 1996). The explicit descriptions of life before and after living in the community contribute to the debate regarding the merits of a quality of life analysis (Wolfensberger, 1994).…”

Getting a Foot in the Door: the Strategic Significance of Supported Living

“…Such arguments have not always impressed commentators. Hatton (1996) argues that where people have profound learning disabilities, these forms of planning will end up much like those carried out by any other service, where the crucial decisions will be made by professionals. There is some truth in this; people in supported living services do not have some sort of magic wand enabling those who cannot communicate their wishes in conventional terms suddenly to articulate their wants.…”

“…For example, supported living is often confused with living independently (i.e., without any support). So, for example, Hatton (1996) points to some of the uncomfortable messages arising from Margaret Flynn's (1989) describes, her study is often quoted and used as an argument against approaches which seek to make greater use of tenancies (see also Mittler, 1996).…”