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What Does It Mean to Be a 'Person' With Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities? Presenting the Views of Family Members and Allies.

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Title: What Does It Mean to Be a 'Person' With Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities? Presenting the Views of Family Members and Allies.
Authors: Simmons, Ben1 b.simmons@bathspa.ac.uk, Read, Stuart1
Source: British Journal of Learning Disabilities. Sep2025, Vol. 53 Issue 3, p457-465. 9p.
Subject Terms: *Communicative competence, *Community support, *Attitudes toward disabilities, *Family attitudes, *Intellectual disabilities, *Research methodology, *Interpersonal relations, *People with disabilities, Research funding, Interviewing, Descriptive statistics, Thematic analysis, Social values, Extended families, Psychosocial factors
Abstract: Background: Individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities are at the centre of debates about what it means to be a person. These debates sometimes start from the position that a person is somebody who possesses mature cognitive abilities, such as intentional communication skills and self‐reflection (which individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities are sometimes said to lack). However, those closest to people with profound and multiple learning disabilities are rarely consulted. This paper presents research that addresses this gap. Methods: Ten unstructured interviews were conducted with family members, friends and allies of the profound and multiple learning disabilities communities. Participants were asked to discuss what being a person meant to them, using their knowledge of supporting individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Findings: Interviewees suggested that a person was fundamentally a relational being, but this relationality was described in a myriad of ways (e.g., as mutual dependence, social role, social gradient, interactionist and storied). Conclusions: A richer understanding of the personhood of individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities can be developed by listening to more family members and allies, and this can provide a counter‐narrative to the current dominant rational view of personhood. Summary: Some philosophers say that individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities are 'too disabled' to count as 'people'.We are worried that this way of thinking is harmful to individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities and can upset the people who love them.We asked family members and allies of individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities what they think a person is.They told us that a person is somebody who needs help and support, is somebody who is related to others, and is somebody we can get to know by being with them.Our research is important because it challenges philosophers who say that individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities are not proper people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of British Journal of Learning Disabilities is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: What Does It Mean to Be a 'Person' With Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities? Presenting the Views of Family Members and Allies.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Simmons%2C+Ben%22">Simmons, Ben</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> b.simmons@bathspa.ac.uk</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Read%2C+Stuart%22">Read, Stuart</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22British+Journal+of+Learning+Disabilities%22">British Journal of Learning Disabilities</searchLink>. Sep2025, Vol. 53 Issue 3, p457-465. 9p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Communicative+competence%22">Communicative competence</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Community+support%22">Community support</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attitudes+toward+disabilities%22">Attitudes toward disabilities</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Family+attitudes%22">Family attitudes</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Intellectual+disabilities%22">Intellectual disabilities</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+methodology%22">Research methodology</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interpersonal+relations%22">Interpersonal relations</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22People+with+disabilities%22">People with disabilities</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+funding%22">Research funding</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interviewing%22">Interviewing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Descriptive+statistics%22">Descriptive statistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Thematic+analysis%22">Thematic analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+values%22">Social values</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Extended+families%22">Extended families</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychosocial+factors%22">Psychosocial factors</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Background: Individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities are at the centre of debates about what it means to be a person. These debates sometimes start from the position that a person is somebody who possesses mature cognitive abilities, such as intentional communication skills and self‐reflection (which individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities are sometimes said to lack). However, those closest to people with profound and multiple learning disabilities are rarely consulted. This paper presents research that addresses this gap. Methods: Ten unstructured interviews were conducted with family members, friends and allies of the profound and multiple learning disabilities communities. Participants were asked to discuss what being a person meant to them, using their knowledge of supporting individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Findings: Interviewees suggested that a person was fundamentally a relational being, but this relationality was described in a myriad of ways (e.g., as mutual dependence, social role, social gradient, interactionist and storied). Conclusions: A richer understanding of the personhood of individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities can be developed by listening to more family members and allies, and this can provide a counter‐narrative to the current dominant rational view of personhood. Summary: Some philosophers say that individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities are 'too disabled' to count as 'people'.We are worried that this way of thinking is harmful to individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities and can upset the people who love them.We asked family members and allies of individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities what they think a person is.They told us that a person is somebody who needs help and support, is somebody who is related to others, and is somebody we can get to know by being with them.Our research is important because it challenges philosophers who say that individuals with profound and multiple learning disabilities are not proper people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
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  Data: <i>Copyright of British Journal of Learning Disabilities is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1111/bld.12652
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        Text: English
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        PageCount: 9
        StartPage: 457
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      – SubjectFull: Communicative competence
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Community support
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Attitudes toward disabilities
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Family attitudes
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      – SubjectFull: Intellectual disabilities
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      – SubjectFull: Research methodology
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      – SubjectFull: Interpersonal relations
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: People with disabilities
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      – SubjectFull: Research funding
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Interviewing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Descriptive statistics
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      – SubjectFull: Thematic analysis
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      – SubjectFull: Social values
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      – SubjectFull: Extended families
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      – SubjectFull: Psychosocial factors
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      – TitleFull: What Does It Mean to Be a 'Person' With Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities? Presenting the Views of Family Members and Allies.
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              M: 09
              Text: Sep2025
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              Y: 2025
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