Moving out to live independently? experiences from young women with intellectual disabilities in Norway

This article explores the process of four women in Norway moving into their own apartment, emphasizing how they experienced the process in relation to self-determination and living independently. Persons with intellectual disabilities have been deprived of equality and human rights compared to non-disabled persons. They have been equated with a special form of vulnerability perceiving them not to have status as autonomous or capacity to lead self-determined lives. Based on participatory research applying a dialogue conference-inspired method, this article challenges how services are built based on municipal structures, rather than around the persons receiving the services.