ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book addresses how different service users and providers might interpret and deal with problems that are at stake differently. It adds to this complexity by discussing the impact of both cultural context and individual cultural preferences on the understanding of participation. Both Imrie and Shakespeare argue that the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)and its use of the term participation represent the development of a relational understanding of determinants of disease and disability. The book argues how participation requires reciprocal relationships, a challenge for traditional service providers and healthcare and presents a time-geographical method as relevant in assessing participation. Even if the method is not chiefly presented as an assessment, it focuses on the complex issue of measurement of participation. The book then portrays the groundings of a participatory approach within social and healthcare services.
