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Country Profile

Norway

7.4 out of 10

Right to decide and right to vote

The law says that people with intellectual disabilities should have legal capacity and support to make decisions. There is support provided by the government to make voting accessible.

8.3

Right to live independently and to be included in the community

Most adults with intellectual disabilities live in small care homes and some live in smaller institutions. There are no large institutions.

8

Housing and support

Some adults with intellectual disabilities live with their family. Most live in their own place. Disability benefits go directly to the person with a disability. There is a mechanism to assess quality of services.

8.8

Education

Many children with intellectual disabilities go to mainstream schools, some go to special schools. There is a national strategy towards inclusive education.

7.6

Employment

Very few people with intellectual disabilities have a job on the open labour market. They risk losing disability benefits when they earn money. Most people work in ‘protected employment,’ and some attend daycare or stay at home. ‘Protected employment’ pays minimum wage.

5.3

Healthcare

All people with intellectual disabilities have access to healthcare. Health insurance is free/discounted. Poor sex education, and little freedom of choice in reproductive health. People with intellectual disabilities can be forcibly sterilised.

6.9

Representation

People with intellectual disabilities are represented in the national cross-disability organisation, but there is no person with an intellectual disability on the board/council. NFU receives government funding for advocacy work.

7

How does Norway compare to the European average?

Norway European average

Right to decide and right to vote
8.3
Right to live independently and to be included in the community
8
Housing and support
8.8
Education
7.6
Employment
5.3
Healthcare
6.9
Representation
7

Developments in the area of employment have been alarmingly poor. In 1994, only five percent were not registered with any form of employment, including day centres. In 2010, 11.7 percent were without any arrangement or measure, and today 53 percent of people with intellectual disabilities are not registered as employed, either through work-related measures or day programs.

Reported numbers of people with intellectual disabilities in
Mainstream education 6,000
Special education 4,000
No education *
Larger institutions *
Smaller institutions 3,000
Small care homes 7,000
Psychiatric hospitals *

These are the reported or estimated numbers of the country. In most cases, in reality, the numbers will be higher as the data is underreported or missing entirely.