The Montreal Conference > Special Events > Soirée hommage to Bengt Nirje

During the Montreal PAHO/WHO Conference on Intellectual Disability, held on the 5th and 6th of October 2004, leading Quebec figures in the world of intellectual disability gathered with the conference participants to honour M. Bengt Nirje, a renowned humanist from Sweden widely regarded as the "father" of normalization.

Developed in the 1960s, the concept of normalization defines the conditions needed to allow the individual with an intellectual disability to face "normal" conditions in every aspect of his life. This concept first gained popularity in Scandinavian countries where social programs for intellectual disabilities are known to be very advanced. It then reached the American continent in 1969, when Mr Bengt Nirje published his famous work entitled " Changing Patterns in Residential Services for the Mentally Retarded " on behalf of the prestigious President's Committee on Mental Retardation.

M. Nirje's innovative ideas have been influenced much by way of his early classical studies in Sweden , France and the United States as well as through professional experiences working with refugees and individuals suffering from spasmodic syndrome. Henceforth, M. Nirje's conceptualisation of intellectual disabilities has given rise to landmark ideas such as valuing social role, self-determination, integration (familial, social, educational, and professional), rights and responsibilities in accordance with competency. Today in Quebec , M. Nirje's optimistic and generous philosophy is still very much at the heart of the long term planning of the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services. To witness this, one only needs to refer to the recently (2001) published policy document: From social integration to social participation: Outline of the Policy of Support for Persons with an Intellectual Disability, Their Family and Their Close Ones. The signing of the Montreal Declaration on Intellectual Disabilities owes much to Mr Nirje's lifelong efforts to ensure that persons with an intellectual disability are equal citizens in our societies.

Friends and colleagues of Mr Bengt Nirje as well as the Lieutenant-Governor of Québec, the Honourable Mrs Lise Thibault, were amongst those present at the Conference to celebrate him and recognize his importance for persons with intellectual disabilities. The President of the Consortium National de Recherche sur l'Intégration Sociale (CNRIS), M. Claude Belley, jumped on the occasion to formally announce the creation of the "Bengt Nirje Bursary" awarded to a post-graduate student whose contribution, in continuance of Mr Nirje's body of work, is expected to favour the social integration and participation of individuals with intellectual disabilities.