“It’s a Limbo”: The Moral Scenes of Interpreting Autonomy in Danish Intellectual Disability Care
Abstract
In Denmark, people with intellectual disabilities who live in supported housing are entitled to both care and autonomy. Catering to these ideals creates situated dilemmas for caregivers and residents, especially when increased attention to autonomy brings "good" care into question. In this article, we demonstrate that individuals with intellectual disabilities express their autonomy by both verbal and non-verbal means, which can be multifaceted and difficult to interpret. As a result, caregivers must continuously experiment with interpreting what we refer to as "expressions of autonomy" while navigating sometimes competing values of autonomy and care on a situated basis.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Disability Rights and Representation
Down syndrome and intellectual disability research
Ethics and bioethics in healthcare
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Medical Anthropology
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 124–139
- Publication date
- 17 February 2026
- Language
- EN