Emancipation and self-determination of people with learning disabilities and down-sizing institutional care

In Arduin, an organisation for services to people with learning disabilitie s in the Netherlands, the emancipation and self-determination of people wit h learning disabilities has been positively adopted as fundamental in order to secure the best possible quality of life of the clients. The client is being encouraged in several ways in a development from a position of depend ence towards self-determination. The services provided by the organisation had to be adjusted accordingly and are also going through a transition from 'providing a total care service' towards 'offering the support that the cl ient desires'. In this article article the background and developments in p erception are being outlined, and those dimensions in quality of life are e laborated that are seen as most essential in the innovation: inclusion, sel f-determination and personal development. The choices that were made as a c onsequence in Arduin and most fundamental the choice to dismantle the insti tution are described.