This year’s Learning Disability Week (15 to 21 June) asks “Do you see me?” and is all about ensuring people with a learning disability are seen, heard and valued.
This aim is shared by Devon County Council’s Reaching for Independence team which offers short-term enabling support to people aged 17 years and upwards with eligible social care needs or likely to have them.
The scheme helps people to gain the skills and confidence to live independently, to use community facilities and services independently, or to take up new opportunities such as starting paid employment.
Over the last 12 months, Reaching for Independence has helped more than 1,850 people in the county. Of these referrals, 358 people had a Learning Disability diagnosis as the primary reason for needing support, as opposed to other issues such as mental health, physical disability, or autism.
Petroc College student Irys is among them. She has a rare genetic disorder called Wiedemann–Steiner syndrome, which has a number of different symptoms, including learning disabilities.
The 17-year-old has made huge strides over the past three months while she’s been working with Michael from Reaching for Independence, focussing on cooking skills and walking safely to her local shop.
Irys said: “I love cooking. I write down the ingredients and what I want to make, and if I want to make it, I go to the shop, sometimes on my own. We’ve been making lots of things like pasta, omelette and pizza. I can do it if my parents are there, sometimes I can’t do it, but now I can because Michael’s here to help me.”
Irys’s dad Allan says the work on important life skills has made a huge difference in a short time.
Allan said: “I think with Irys, more than anything, it’s about getting her confidence up. She’s very nervous when she does something new for the first time, so having someone doing some consistent training with her and helping her has been really worthwhile.
“Travel training and cooking food were the main things we wanted her to have help with, to help her in future. To be able to cross the road safely so she can do things like go to the shops and be able to do things herself with more and more confidence. The more she can do for herself the better, and it also makes going out much easier when we go out as a family.
“When we go out now she’s leading the way. She’s really enjoying it and has picked it up. To see the journey she’s gone on in a few weeks has been amazing.
“We always know that when Irys gets something, she gets it and she understands it, but sometimes it can take weeks or months. With this, she clicked with Michael and picked it up from about week three. You can see her confidence growing. The change is almost instant and it’s unbelievable work that the Reaching for Independence team has done in such a short period of time.”
Michael Patch, from Reaching for Independence, added: “Irys has been brilliant. She’s 100% more confident than she used to be. Before she was a bit unsure about what to do and what not to do, but now she’s all guns blazing. Reaching for Independence offers people that helping hand and help points them in the right direction to achieve goals that they want to achieve. You get to see first-hand the achievements people make and from start to finish you can see the difference.”
Councillor Richard Keeling, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for adult services, said:
“Learning Disability Week is an important time to highlight what life is like for people with a learning disability and how they are being helped to be independent and live life to the full. Our Reaching for Independence team helps hundreds of people with a learning disability every year. With their support, Irys is learning vital life skills that are making a huge difference to her and to her family.”
To find out more visit the Reaching for Independence webpages and for information about Learning Disability Week go to
https://www.mencap.org.uk/learningdisabilityweek.