‘A Limited Guardian Should First and Foremost Get to Know the Person He Helps’—Experiences of Having a Limited Guardian from the Perspective of Adults with Intellectual Disability

Abstract

One goal with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is ensuring that persons with disabilities have the right to support in reaching and acting upon decisions. The aim of this pilot study was to explore how adults with intellectual disability describe their experiences of receiving support and being represented by a limited guardian. Two overall themes emerged from eight qualitative individual semi-structured interviews: Indispensable and valuable support and Mismanagement of the assignment. Our findings showed that limited guardianship is more complex than it may initially seem due to overlaps between protecting rights, ensuring support for the person, and managing financial matters. Mutual trust and the guardian’s ability to listen and be open to the client’s changing needs reduced the risk of the client being misrepresented or receiving insufficient support. To support assisted decision-making, limited guardians must develop their pedagogical skills and gain knowledge about intellectual disability.

Keywords

• limited guardian
• intellectual disability
• assisted decisionmaking
• sweden
• qualitative analysis
• human rights