Dr Ben Simmons

Personal statement

Dr Ben Simons is a Reader in Inclusive Education and Disability Research at Bath Spa University. He is currently involved in a range of research projects that seek to develop understandings about the meaning and practice of ‘inclusion’, particularly in relation to research methodology and educational provision.

For example, he is the Principal Investigator of a Wellcome Trust-funded network that explores how universities can work with local communities to co-produce change-oriented disability research. The network - called We Are The People - is funded through a £1million Research Development Award and runs for five years (2021-2026).

Ben is also involved in an AHRC-funded project that aims to make cultural heritage spaces more inclusive for people with learning disabilities (2023-2024), building on previous research on accessible communication funded by the Watershed in Bristol (led by Dr Stuart Read in 2022). Ben is also part of a team conducting a thematic literature review on the lived experiences of disabled people in education, funded by the Cabinet Office (2023).

Ben has a long-standing research interest and expertise in working with children described as having ‘profound and multiple learning difficulties’ (PMLD). His research explores whether, and to what extent, mainstream schools afford different learning opportunities to special schools for children with PMLD. His research also aims to develop participatory methods that shed light on the experiences of children 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). He is currently exploring research priorities for people with PMLD through the Wellcome Trust project described above.

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 NHS Electronic Assistive Technology and Learning Disabilities Advisory Group 
• External Examiner - BA (Hons) modules, Department of Education, University of Sussex 
• External Examiner for doctoral degrees - University of Dundee (2017, 2019), Open University (2020), Newcastle University (2022)
• Reviewer for funding bodies - British Academy, Wolfson Foundation, Independent Social Research Foundation, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
• Reviewer for journals - International Journal of Inclusive Education, Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, etc.

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.

Current doctoral students:

• Andrew Auld - 'Art is part of the equation': exploring the impact of creative arts practices on learning disabled conceptions of self and community.
• Helena Thomas: Releasing the imagination: stories of becoming writing teachers in England's state school system.

Previous doctoral students:

• Dr Stephanie Harvey - Moving beyond 'the cheapest kind of understanding': Enriching policy responses to BAME mental health inequality (2020).