People with intellectual disabilities (IDs) have been defined as 'socially excluded' and policies of 'social inclusion' invoked to counter this through a focus on paid work and independent living. For many people with IDs this is either not desired or not possible, and as a result many have sought out alternative spaces and activities of inclusion. The paper provides a critique of social exclusion and inclusion, and then goes onto examine (using two case studies) the ways in which people with IDs develop feelings of attachment and belonging within artistic spaces. The paper concludes that not only do these spaces provide mostly positive outcomes for individual people, but also have a potential role in 'reinscribing' the social and cultural understanding of people with IDs.

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The social geographies of people with learning disabilities, one of the most marginalized groups in society, have largely been ignored. The paper explores these hidden geographies through the interpretation of narratives of people with learning disabilities in Scotland, within a social policy framework of social exclusion and inclusion. The paper interprets the experiences of being excluded from and included within mainstream socio-spaces, and the safe spaces that many people with learning disabilities have formed for themselves in between the positions of social exclusion and inclusion.

In this paper we develop linkages between non-representational theory and emerging work by disability scholars in geography. We argue that non-representational thinking has the potential to advance our understanding of the complex and emergent geographies of dis/ability. We first outline key dimensions of non-representational thinking within geography. We then explore how this perspective has begun to, and might further inform, geographical scholarship on disability. Next, we extend our thinking to consider how NRT might provide the basis for a critical geography of the ‘able-body’. We conclude by reflecting on the conceptual, political, methodological and empirical implications of our argument.

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