Understanding belonging for people with profound intellectual disabilities

I will study the relationship between identity and belonging for people with profound and multiple
learning disabilities. Working with a group of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities I will
explore creative activities that bring them, and others, to a sense of their own identity and monitor the
effect this has on their belonging, in their family, in their class, and in the wider community.
Working closely with a friend who has profound and multiple learning disabilities I will undertake a close
sensory ethnographic study of her identity as she transitions from childhood into adulthood. Together we
will creatively explore our identities and gauge the impact this has on our belonging in social groups.
Feeling a sense of belonging is essential for the wellbeing of any human being. I believe that a strong
sense of identity plays a faciliatory role in a person's inclusion in a group, thereby giving them access to
the chance to feel that they belong.
People with profound and multiple learning disabilities are all too often defined by their disabilities, to
such an extent that their disabilities become their identity to others. By finding creative ways to discover
and declare identity for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities I believe my work will:
create change in how we advocate for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities; improve
the wellbeing of the people with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and enhance inclusion and
belonging within society for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.