Close institutions
Close the large institutions for people with development disabilities. It is Lene Elsig Dalgaard comment on the scandal on Strandvænget in Denmark.

By Lene Elsig Dalgaard, Inclusion Software

Shutter institutions just as they have in New Zealand! And help our fellow citizens with development disabilities to learn to operate a computer so they can learn to communicate. Yes, in general, offer people with development disabilities own computer as a part of our fellow citizens with disabilities are offered automatically as an aid. And ask them! They are human beings first of all. It is my bid for a decent existence as an alternative to the miserable lives, we offer the vast majority of people with development disabilities in this country. On Inclusion Europe's annual congress "Europe in action" in May 2005, which was held in Prague with participants from all over Europe and from around the world, was the theme "Towards living in the society". There were several people with development disabilities into the rostrum and described the pathetic and degrading it is to spend his life in an institution. The optimum is to offer small homes as they do in New Zealand in the project LIFE unlimited.
In my point of you it is not just the institutions, but our entire society - politicians and the press and to some parents' associations - there are too tough.
Who - in the media - are asking people with development disabilities what they think?
A few years ago I attended a conference in Lisbon, Real Live Media supported by the European Commission about media portrayals of people with development disabilities.

There was also attended by some people with development disabilities from other European countries. The message from them was unequivocal: Ask ourselves instead of trying to talk to us by educators and caregivers.
So: Help to communicate - for example by offering software that supports the development of spoken language and literacy.
This invitation, I will repeat here. And then I also mention that Ulf, Udviklingshæmmedes Landsforbund, has a great President, Lisbeth Jensen, who has the answers and experience.