Personal statement

Ben Simmons is a Professor of Inclusive Education and Disability Research at Bath Spa University. He has led a range of externally-funded research projects that seek to develop understandings about the meaning and practice of ‘inclusion’, particularly in relation to research methodology and educational provision. The knowledge accrued through these projects has led to the development of modules at BSU’s School of Education, ensuring that students’ learning is research-informed.

Ben is currently the Principal Investigator of a Wellcome Trust-funded project that explores how universities can work with local communities to co-produce change-oriented disability research. The project - called ‘We Are The People’ - is funded through a £1million Research Development Award and is based in South West England (2021-2027). It brings together disabled and neurodivergent researchers and allies, disabled people’s organisations, charities, artists, activists and family members to co-produce projects.

Ben’s recently completed projects include an examination of young migrant experiences of education (see Levinson, Bhatti and Simmons 2024), an AHRC-funded project on making cultural heritage spaces more inclusive for people with learning disabilities (see project website), and literature reviews commissioned by the UK’s Cabinet Office about disabled people’s experiences of stigma and education (soon to be published on gov.uk).

Ben has a long-standing research interest and expertise in working with people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). His research explores whether, and to what extent, mainstream schools afford different learning opportunities to special schools for people with PMLD. His research also aims to develop participatory methods that shed light on the experiences of people with PMLD, and expands 'PMLD theory' through the application of ideas drawn from philosophical literature (e.g., on embodiment and space). Ben has a PhD in PMLD Education (University of Exeter 2010) and was previously a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow in this area of work (University of Bristol 2014-2017). Since joining BSU, Ben has conducted research with colleagues to examine the meaning of ‘personhood’ for people with PMLD (see Simmons and Read 2025, Simmons, Read and Parfitt 2025), and supported the co-production of resources that capture and share the stories of those who care for the PMLD community.

Academic qualifications

  • BA (Hons), English Studies and History, Oxford Brookes University 
  • MEd, Special Educational Needs, University of Exeter
  • PGCE, Early Years, University of Exeter
  • MSc, Educational Research, University of Exeter
  • PhD, The PMLD Ambiguity - Articulating the Lifeworlds of Children with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities, University of Exeter.

Professional memberships 

  • Fellow - Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Teaching subjects

  • EDU4101: Controversial Issues in Special and Inclusive Education (module leader)
  • EDU5101: Supporting Learners with Additional Needs (module leader).

External roles

  • Member of the Executive Editorial Panel and Lead for PMLD Research - British Journal of Learning Disabilities 
  • Member of the Wellcome Trust's Social Sciences Discovery Advisory Group
  • External Examiner for research degrees (e.g., University of Dundee, Open University, Newcastle University, University of Exeter, Lincoln Bishop University, Canterbury Christ Church University, VID Specialized University, Norway)
  • Ad hoc reviewer for funding bodies (e.g., British Academy, Wolfson Foundation, Independent Social Research Foundation, Economic and Social Research Council)
  • Ad hoc reviewer for journals (e.g., International Journal of Inclusive Education, Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research).

Areas of expertise

  • Special and Inclusive Education
  • Disability Studies
  • Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD)
  • Participatory and co-produced research methodology.

Research supervision

Ben is interested in supervising students in the field of special and inclusive education, profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and disability studies.

 

Previous  BSU doctoral students:

  • Dr Stephanie Harvey - Moving beyond 'the cheapest kind of understanding': Enriching policy responses to BAME mental health inequality (2020)
  • Dr Helena Thomas: Releasing the imagination: stories of becoming writing teachers in England's state school system (2024).

Research and academic outputs

Go to ResearchSPAce

Conferences and reviews

Conference Presentations and Invited Talks

Simmons, B. (2025) Personhood and agency - rethinking the role of assistive technology from a person-centred perspective. Communication Matters Study Day. Temple, London. 21.11.2025

Simmons, B. (2024) Inclusive education for children with profound and multiple learning disabilities: Examining the UK context. International Conference on Education for the Cognitive and Emotional Development of Children with Special Needs. Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, China. 23.11.2024

Simmons, B. (2024) Communicating with children with ‘PMLD’ and their support networks: lessons learned from the field. Voice4PIMD Workshop, University of Notre Dame, USA, 25.10.2024.

Hill, J., Simmons, B., Yun Yu, S., Jaswal, V., Fennell, E. (2024) ‘Moral Imperative’: round table discussion. Voice4PIMD Workshop. University of Notre Dame, South Bend, USA. 24.10.2024

Simmons, B., (2024) Rethinking ‘personhood’ for people with PMLD. 4th PMLD Conference Online 14.01.2024.

Simmons, B., Read, S., Vernon, H., and Blackmore, T. (2024) We Are The People Project - Poster Presentation. Wellcome Trust Research Development Award Symposium. Bristol, Watershed. 15.07.2024.

Simmons, B., Lamont, B., and Taylor, L.  (2023) Developing inclusive spaces for queer disabled people in the UK. Paper presented at the Scandinavian Migrant Youth, Education, Culture and Identity Network Conference. University of Gothenburg, Sweden. 07.12.2023

Simmons, B. and Vernon, H. (2023) Increasing access awareness of the needs of people with learning disabilities amongst heritage staff. School of Education Seminar Series, Bath Spa University, 29.11.2023

Simmons, B. (2023) How special are mainstream schools for children with PMLD? Thinking beyond binaries in social inclusion research. Paper presented at the AAC London Clinical Excellence Network Study Day. 20.06.2023

Simmons, B., (2020) Inclusive education for people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities - online book launch for Strnadová, I., and Nind, M. (Eds.) Belonging for people with PIMD. Online presentation hosted by University of New South Wales, Australia, 06.07.2020

Simmons, B. (2019) Illuminating the fluidity of naturalistic social interaction across educational settings for children with PMLD. Communication Matters and the Children’s Trust Study Day: Where Next for People with Cognitive Disabilities and Electronic Assistive Technology? Holburne, London. 29.11.2019

Simmons, B. (2017) The phenomenology of intersubjectivity and research with profoundly disabled children: Developing an experiential framework for analysing lived social experiences. Profound Intellectual Disability Symposium, Helsinki, Finland, 15.06.2017

Simmons, B. (2017) Ethical dilemmas in researching children with profound and multiple learning disabilities, Graduate School of Education Research Ethics Conference, 07.03.2017

Simmons, B. (2016) Examining the situated and emerging sociability of children with PMLD, Centre for Researching Education Across Boundaries (CREAB), University of Bristol, 22.03.2016

Simmons, B. (2015) Qualitatively mapping the social interaction opportunities of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties in educational contexts, Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE), University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, Australia, 30.11.2015.

Simmons, B. (2015) Assessing the social skills of children with PMLD through “inclusive education”, SEND Teach Meet, University of Oxford, 18.02.2015.

Jay, T., Rose, J., & Simmons B. (2014) “It’s helping your child experience the world”: How parents can use everyday activities to engage their children's mathematical learning, Centre for Mind and Brain in Educational and Social Contexts (MBESC), University of Bristol, United Kingdom, 29.09.2014.

Rose, J. Simmons, B. & Jay, T. (2014) “It’s helping your child experience the world”: How parents can use everyday activities to discuss maths with their children, European Conference of Educational Research (ECER) University of Porto, Portugal 04.09.2014. 

Simmons, B. (2013) Understanding children with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) in research, theory and practice (invited paper), Centre for Mind and Brain in Educational and Social Contexts (MBESC) University of Bristol, United Kingdom, 25.10.2013

Simmons, B. (2012) Changing the agenda: reflections about the research landscape for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties (invited keynote paper), 1st UK Disabled Children’s Research Network Conference (UKDCRNC) University of Bristol, 16.05.2012.

Simmons, B. (2011) The PMLD ambiguity: articulating the life-worlds of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties, Nordic Network on Disability Research (NNDR) 11th Research Conference. Reykjavik, Iceland, 28.05.2011.

Simmons, B. (2010) Personhood, participation, and the PMLD conundrum (invited paper), presented at the Cornwall Disability Research Network (CDRN) 5th Annual Conference, Cornwall College, United Kingdom 29.10.2010.

Simmons, B. (2008) Sam's Story (invited paper), Cornwall Disability Research Network (CDRN) 3rd Annual Conference, Cornwall College, United Kingdom, 27.12.2008.

Blackmore, T., Simmons B. & Vakirtzi, E. (2006) Postmodern rhizomatics and synergistic knowledge creation: the case for rejecting grand narratives in educational research, European Conference of Educational Research (ECER), University of Geneva, Switzerland, 13.09.2006.

Simmons, B. & Bayliss, P. (2005) Developing intersubjectivity in children with profound and multiple learning difficulties through inclusive education, International Conference of Inclusive Education, Institute of Education, Tai Po, Hong Kong, 09.12.2005.

Book Reviews

Simmons, B (2022) Review of Vehmas, S., and Mietola, R., (2021) Narrowed lives: meaning, moral value and profound intellectual disability. British Journal of Learning Disabilities 50: 448-449.

Simmons, B. (2018) Review of Manning, E. (2016) The minor gesture - thought in the act, for Disability & Society

Simmons, B. (2017) Review of Paterson, M. (2015) Review of Seeing with the hands, for Disability & Society, 32 (2): 280-281

Simmons, B. (2013) Review of Hesse-Biber, S. & Patricia, L. (2010) Handbook of Emergent Methods, New York: The Guildford Press, for British Educational Research Journal 39 (5): 947–949

Simmons, B. (2010) Review of Armstrong, A., Armstrong, D., & Spandagou, I. (2010) Inclusive Education: International Policy and Practice, London: Sage Publications, for Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 10 (3), 256.