Normalisation 60 Years Beyond: the Developments and Current Status in the Nordic Countries

This chapter provides an overview of the development of residential services for persons with intellectual disabilities in the Nordic region (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden); 1960–2020. The description starts in the formation years for the concept and principle of normalisation, which guided the development for about 40 years. Although there is variation across the countries and overlap in timing, the overall trends have clear family resemblances. The chapter describes three rather distinct phases of development: Normalisation phase I where the main issue was to improve the institutions and make them more like the life going on outside. In the second phase, full replacement of institutions by community care entered the agenda and two Nordic countries were the first internationally to close all institutions for persons with intellectual disabilities. After the hay days of normalisation and deinstitutionalisation in the 1990s, the development entered a third phase characterised by divergent developments—the coexistence of worrying and positive trends. The focus of the chapter is the living arrangements.