Proposing an Academic Space of “Autism and Profound Learning Disability”

Abstract

This article makes a practical suggestion to addressing the acute marginalisation of people with complex needs within academia. To do this, it first explores how the academic use of the terms “autism” and “severe/profound learning disabilities” leads to exclusionary practices where people with complex needs cannot represent themselves in research about their lives. These practices, this article contends, are epistemically and ethically unjustified. It demonstrates the former by exploring the shared ways in which people with complex needs are known in academic and social contexts. Regarding the latter, it argues that the research fields of autism and learning disabilities have favoured practices that exclude people with complex needs. To improve their academic representation, an academic space of “autism and profound learning disability” is proposed by drawing from Kraus’s (2015) theory of lifeworlds and life-conditions. The aim of the space is to be open and inclusive to any person with complex needs related to the terms “autism” and “severe/profound learning disabilities”, and to develop ethical research and practices that include their perspectives, views, and values. The paper concludes by presenting a preliminary agenda for the space.