ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the definition of community living and the importance of community living for achieving Active Citizenship. It summarizes the available data on the situation of people with disabilities and how this has changed over time. Next, we examine policies, funding systems and services to facilitate and support community living from a multi-level perspective. The chapter draws on two elements of the DISCIT research methodology. First, research teams in each country completed a template summarising the available information about community living for their country. Second, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 84 disability policy and service experts across the nine countries. The chapter builds on the thematic analysis of interviews with four expert informants in each country, with a particular focus on those who had expertise related to the transition from institution to community-based services and to community living.
