title: Tools for surveying and improving the quality of life: people with special needs in focus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This article seeks to describe online tools for surveying and improving quality of life for people with disabilities living in assisted living centers and special education service organizations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ensuring a decent quality of life for disabled people is an important welfare state goal. Using well-accepted quality of life conceptions, online diagnostic and planning tools were developed during an Institute for Education, University of Zurich, research project.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The diagnostic tools measure, evaluate and analyze disabled people's quality of life. The planning tools identify factors that can affect their quality of life and suggest improvements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Instrument validity and reliability are not tested according to the standard statistical procedures. This will be done at a more advanced stage of the project. Instead, the tool is developed, refined and adjusted in cooperation with practitioners who are constantly judging it according to best practice standards.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The tools support staff in assisted living centers and special education service organizations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These tools offer comprehensive resources for surveying, quantifying, evaluating, describing and simulating quality of life elements.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Education, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hoyningen-Süess
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oberholzer
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stalder
authors.forename: Urs
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Brügger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D040561:Assisted Living Facilities; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D004519:Education, Special; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*