The program is framed within a social model ofdisability. How disabling barriers prevent disabled people from participate in different areas of social life is an important issue for further research. At the same time one should not forget that reduced functional abilities and impairments are important personal issues for a lot of people even if they are not easily dealt with within the framework of a social model of disability.Knowledge about how people with impairments experience their situation in everyday life will still be an important field of research at NOVA. The following areas of research will be prioritized: a)Living conditions/barriers preventing participation b)Quality of life, coping and everyday life c)The policies of care and social services d)Normality and the "empirical norm" In order to develop the field of disability studies theoretically and empirically NOVA will seek to establish contact with milieus nationally and internationally. Two Phd projects are connected to the programme. One addressing the use of internet as a source of information with Tonje Gundersen as doctoral candidate. The second project addresses the issue of disabled young persons barriere prone road to employment.