To Live and Work in a Social Welfare Home – Sociological Study of Interactions Between Personnel and Mentally Disabled Wards

An impressive empirical study that significantly contributes to comprehending mental disability and institutional forms of helping the mentally disabled. Niedbalski presents a highly realistic description, free from political correctness, of the pros and cons of working with stigmatized people.--Elzebieta Zakrzewska-Manterys, University of Warsaw An impressive empirical study that significantly contributes to comprehending mental disability and institutional forms of helping the mentally disabled. Niedbalski presents a highly realistic description, free from political correctness, of the pros and cons of working with stigmatized people.--Elzebieta Zakrzewska-Manterys, University of Warsaw An impressive empirical study that significantly contributes to comprehending mental disability and institutional forms of helping the mentally disabled. Niedbalski presents a highly realistic description, free from political correctness, of the pros and cons of working with stigmatized people.--Elzebieta Zakrzewska-Manterys, University of Warsaw The book by Jakub Niedbalski is an impressive empirical study performed in accordance with principles of the grounded theory. The author conducts an elaborate in-depth analysis of a place, where rules that govern the development of social order become explicitly visible. This place is a nursing home for mentally disabled people. While taking a closer look at this place, following the author's indications, we have an opportunity to find principles that we apply in our social lives - however, here they are exaggerated, multiplied, which makes them influence our sluggish imagination to an even higher extent.The book by Jakub Niedbalski constitutes significant contribution to comprehension of the meaning of mental disability, and to understanding the principles how the institutional forms of helping the mentally disabled to live their normal lives function. The author presents a highly realistic description, free from political correctness, of pros and cons of a situation, when stigmatized people, excluded from the main stream of social life coexist with those that sometimes are incompetent, sometimes play their manipulative games, who sometimes are disaffected and exasperated - but who provide their charges with worthy lives with care and fondness. Descriptions of the author demonstrate a nursing home as a place that bears features of both a total institution and space, where needs of its residents are fulfilled, and where they can take part in the atmosphere of community. The author of the book symbolizes an attitude, which grants him a right to speak up about the mentally disabled as the one, who ate a bushel of salt with them. I have an irresistible feeling that majority of specialists in intellectual disability saw a handicapped person only from a certain distance, and what is more, only for a moment. The book by Jakub Niedbalski has a chance to become a publication that will change this situation.--Prof. PhD Elzebieta Zakrzewska-Manterys