Life story work with people with profound and multiple learning disabilities

Noelle McCormack

It is important to find out about the life stories of people who have profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and to see them as people who have rights in our society.

People with PMLD have very high support needs and are sometimes treated very badly, as though they are less than human. I have spent the last year working with three people who have PMLD and their supporters and will share why we think it is important to tell their stories.

I will do this by looking at the question ‘Why History?’ from three points of view:

1. The person with PMLD
2. Their families and supporters
3. Learning disability history.

View the presentation slides (PDF)

Speaker biography

Noelle McCormack has worked as a life story practitioner with people with learning disabilities and dementia for more than twenty years. She is currently a student at The Rix Centre at the University of East London and her research is about extending opportunities for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities to participate in life story work.