New structure and dynamics in the disability sector
– early experiences and expectations of managers, employees and users

What does the local government reform mean for citizens with disabilities who need specialised assistance and advice? This is the main theme of the Danish Institute of Governmental Research – AKF five-year evaluation »Local Government Reform and Disability«, which was initiated in 2006 and will conclude in 2010.

This report focuses on the early experiences and expectations of the reform process as expressed through interviews with 17 users of specialised programmes in the disability sector and by employees and managers of their programmes. At this early stage, where the reform is still in the process of being implemented, the users’ concrete experiences and expectations are relatively few. It is especially the managers, and to some extent the employees, who have experiences and expectations. The report presents the early experiences and calls attention to the new dynamics that will be crucial for developments in the disability sector after the local government responsibility and structural reform of 2007. Both opportunities and pitfalls are highlighted.