99 Progress in intellectual disabilities services in Greece Diagnostic, educational and vocational services Introduction This editorial describes the extent and progress of services for people with learning disabilities in Greece and focuses specifically on the areas of diag- nostic services, education and employment, and making recommendations for prioritizing service developments for people with intellectual disabili- ties in order to promote equal treatment, social inclusion and quality of life of these people. The information presented here is primarily based on a review of relevant literature (e.g. Dimitrakaki et al., 2000; Holt et al., 2000; Tsiantis et al., 2000) and a broad range of government and legal documents, as well as on a field research 1 (using semi-structured inter- views, questionnaires and a ‘round table meeting’) with intellectual disabil- ity experts, government officials, the ombudsman, self-advocates, parents’ organizations and representatives of local and international organizations. Collection of this information was conducted within the frame of a European interstate programme. 2 Diagnostic, educational and vocational services for people with intellectual disabilities in Greece A major limitation of any study on services for people with intellectual disabilities in Greece is that there is very little statistical information regard- ing these people or the services available to them. Census data significantly underestimates the total number of people with intellectual disabilities, which is estimated to stand at around 150,000 (Madianos, 1994). It should be also noted that the existing services for people with intellectual disabili- ties are unevenly spread. Some regions of the country, particularly rural areas and the islands, do not have the necessary structures and resources to meet the diagnostic, educational, or vocational needs of people with all editorial Journal of Intellectual Disabilities © 2006 sage publications London,Thousand Oaks and New Delhi vol 10(2) 99‒104 issn 1744-6295(064007)10:2 doi: 10.1177/1744629506064007