Living in the community: services and supports for people with disabilities

The research on which this report is based addresses a gap identifi ed by the Disability Federation of Ireland and the Not for Profi t Business Association, in the context of planned reform of disability services. They found in recent major policy statements, notably Value for Money and Policy Review of Disability Services in Ireland (DoH 2012), a lack of recognition of how voluntary organisations through their services and supports enable large numbers of people with disabilities to continue living in the community. They pointed out that the Value for Money and Policy Review concentrates on the highexpenditure services which support only a minority of people with disabilities, those living in institutional care, while the range and quality of the community-based services supporting the majority are not adequately acknowledged