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Support in Law, Control in Practice: Legal Guardianship for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and the Fostering of Moral Responsibility Cover

Support in Law, Control in Practice: Legal Guardianship for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and the Fostering of Moral Responsibility

Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research

Volume 28 (2026): Issue 1

By: Karin Jansson

Open Access

|Mar 2026

Abstract

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities affirms that persons with disabilities have legal capacity on an equal basis with others, recognising their right to make legally significant decisions and have those decisions respected. Some individuals, however, may need support to understand, make, and act upon such decisions. This article critically examines how legal guardians in Sweden interpret and perform their role in relation to adults with intellectual disabilities. Based on 16 qualitative interviews, the analysis draws on governmentality theory to explore how power operates within guardianship relationships. Although guardianship is formally presented as a supportive measure, everyday practices often merge support with control, limiting autonomy through conditional participation, financial oversight, and moral regulation. Guardians frequently justify these restrictions through assumptions of incapacity and interpretations of ‘best interests’, positioning themselves as both protectors and disciplinarians. Consequently, guardianship may function as behavioural governance, fostering compliance rather than self-determination.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.16993/sjdr.1391 | Journal eISSN: 1745-3011

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Language: English

Page range: 146 - 158

Submitted on: Oct 10, 2025

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Accepted on: Mar 17, 2026

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Published on: Mar 25, 2026

Published by: Stockholm University Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

Legal capacity,

Supported decision-making,

Intellectual disability,

Self-determination

© 2026 Karin Jansson, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 28 (2026): Issue 1

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