reviews the policies and life conditions pertaining to people with mental retardation in Germany / [introduces] the social policy and the system of social security for people with mental retardation in Germany / [describes] living environments [of people with disabilities] / [elaborates] the concept of quality of life for people with disabilities / [summarizes] research efforts and their results / a final discussion is provided to help the reader grasp the scope of further developments necessary to counteract [xenophobic] incidents / such incidents [question] the right of people with mental retardation and other disabilities to enjoy a life full of quality and equal opportunity social policy and the system of social security for people with mental retardation in Germany / guiding principles / free welfare work in Germany / prevention and early intervention [school] / residential services / vocational training and employment / lifelong learning / research initiatives involving quality of life (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)