Changes in the Lives of People with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities

Melanie Nind and Iva Strnadova's opening chapter provides the context of the last five decades in relation to the lives of children and adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. The chapter begins with discussion of the definition of profound intellectual and multiple disabilities/profound and multiple learning disabilities and other equivalent terms. It moves on to show how this is a small group that is marginalised in many respects. The landscape of inclusion and exclusion follows – addressing the core areas of the book – education, research and community. The authors show some of the ways in which things are moving on in terms of their opportunities for living a good life or in terms of things that might matter to people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. They also show some of the ways in which they have been left out in the cold.