As understanding has shifted to view learning disabilities (LD) as lifelong conditions, support for independent living has grown, leading to efforts to transition individuals from long-term hospital stays to living independently. However, previous attitudes persist, with transactional care remaining the main form of support, with a small population still perceived as too complex to live independently. On July 14, 2025, Ward 7A in North Ayrshire, an inpatient assessment and treatment unit, was closed. It was acknowledged that the environment was not suitable for ongoing treatment, as the ward was not intended for long-term stays. This limitation consistently reduced the ward’s ability to provide effective care, making the service increasingly unsustainable for both the patients and staff. The closure reveals a gap in the care pathway, where insufficient preventive support in the community resulted in crisis-driven hospital admissions.

This research project aimed to examine how PD can help create design recommendations through speculative proposals to strengthen community-based support for people with LD. Using PD during fieldwork enabled the research to operate in a dynamic, complex environment, allowing participants to share and shape the project’s understanding through their lived experiences. By framing engagement through a speculative lens, it encouraged participants to think beyond current constraints and assumptions, and to reconsider systems and services. It also helped them to explore long-term possibilities without being restricted by immediate feasibility, prompting them to generate transformative ideas.