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Abstract
Sweden has been one of the countries at the forefront of policymaking for people with intellectual disabilities worldwide. Culminating in the 1994 Swedish LSS Act (Act Concerning Support and Service for Persons with Certain Functional Impairments), the aim of Swedish policy has been to ensure good living conditions and self-determination for people with intellectual disabilities. The primary purpose of this article was to explore Swedish research on the implementation of disability policies, and the extent to which the control that people with intellectual disabilities have over their everyday lives has changed as a result of these forward-looking policies. Swedish research that focuses on self-determination and was published within the last two decades was reviewed. Findings of the study have been drawn from 11 dissertations and 5 articles. As far as the author is aware, this is the first time these findings have been made available to a non-Swedish-speaking audience. Research reviewed included outcomes relating to self-determination arising from the process of deinstitutionalisation for residents of group homes and in individualised service planning. Results of the study have highlighted a gap between policy aims and service provision, which is similar to that described by scholars elsewhere; and that people with intellectual disabilities have limited influence over the decisions that affect their lives. The final section of the article discusses possibilities for increased self-determination arising from the self-organisation by people with intellectual disabilities, and new directions in self-advocacy that are emerging in Sweden.