Personal assistance and disability: a service for social inclusion

Personal assistance service is a personalized help service for independent living that is part of the "model to attend to diversity". It recognizes the capacity and the right of everyone to enjoy the maximum of his autonomy in development of his life project. This paper analyses one of the few experiences in Spain of implementation of the service for people with intellectual disability and/or severe mental illness. Using a qualitative methodology (semi-structured interviews and focus groups), the research provides some ideas about the identity of the service, the role of personal assistants, the participation of the voluntary sector and the assessment made by their managers and their target audience. The final part of the text marks some challenges that must be faced for the extension and consolidation of the service.