Chapters authored
Understanding the Concept of Life Quality within the Framework of Social Service Provision: Theoretical Analysis and a Case Study
The study discusses the quality of life concept and its relation to the right to lead an independent life as a social service recipient. The combination of these concepts can be found in various strategic documents at the national and international level. The study articulates the thesis that the concept of capabilities is the basic concept for both the definition of quality of life and the definition of the right to independent living, as the level of freedom and capability (capabilities) provides information on real opportunities and possibilities of individuals to make free decisions as well as allows to identify disparities caused by the social structure that disadvantages, marginalises or discriminates certain groups. The aims of the study are to provide a clear definition of the right to lead an independent life and to explicate the link between the concepts of quality of life, self‐determination, autonomy, competence in the context of the rights of disabled people to the integration and social inclusion. Reflecting on the experience from the Slovak Republic, the study suggests that the social service transformation process does not always imply an improvement in the life quality of the disabled. Instead, an ill‐prepared deinstitutionalisation of the social services might dissolve the available system without providing an adequate replacement.
Part of the book: Quality of Life and Quality of Working Life