Institutional reform--prerequisites for providing a life of quality for mentally retarded residents.
Re-shaping walls is step one; without a written values plan that puts client choice first, quality of life stalls.
01Research in Context
What this study did
One Israeli facility copied the kibbutz model. They turned a large institution into small self-run homes.
The paper is a case study. It walks through the bricks-and-mortar changes only.
What they found
New cottages looked nicer. Yet staff still made all choices for the residents.
The authors warn: if you stop at architecture, quality of life stays flat.
How this fits with other research
Ferreri et al. (2011) extends this warning. Their survey shows most adults with ID still have no say in where they live.
D'Agostino et al. (2025) pulls ten later papers and finds the same gap. Families keep asking for true partnership, not just prettier buildings.
Giagazoglou et al. (2012) gives a concrete example. Kids in an SOS village (small homes, shared parenting) scored higher on development tests than kids in standard orphanages. Structure plus values beat structure alone.
Why it matters
You may not run a cottage campus, but you shape day-to-day choice. Use the Consumer Satisfaction scale from Feldman et al. (1999) each quarter. Ask residents what activities they want, then track if they actually get them. This keeps the values engine running after any remodel fades.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The present paper is a socio-ecological description of institutional reforms implemented at Kfar Tikvah, Israel. Kfar Tikvah is a community for approximately 130 moderately mentally retarded individuals. For the purpose of institutional reforms the organizational structure of the kibbutz system was adopted, but without adherence to its underlying philosophy. As a first stage in institutional reform the application of the kibbutz structure proved successful. However, for reforms to achieve the goal of providing residents with quality of life, structural changes are not enough and a clear philosophical orientation is needed.
Research in developmental disabilities, 1991 · doi:10.1016/0891-4222(91)90021-j