{"id":70135,"date":"2026-06-18T13:00:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T12:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/?p=70135"},"modified":"2026-07-03T09:19:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T08:19:41","slug":"learning-disability-week-highlights-how-becca-helping-her-local-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/learning-disability-week-highlights-how-becca-helping-her-local-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning Disability Week highlights how Becca is helping her local community"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Reaching for Independence has enabled Becca to volunteer at Dartmouth Caring&amp;apos;s parent and baby group\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/r5tmdyVUrx4?feature=oembed&#038;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>We&#8217;re celebrating the achievements and contributions of people with learning disabilities all this week, as part of Learning Disability Week.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">19-year-old Becca Davies has recently started volunteering at Dartmouth Caring\u2019s parent and baby group, something made possible with the support of Devon County Council\u2019s Reaching for Independence service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although Becca has only been volunteering for the past two months, her help has made it possible for the group to become weekly rather than fortnightly \u2013 benefitting parents and babies in the local community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reaching for Independence has a team of Community Enablers helping to support people aged 17 and over to develop life skills and promote their independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sharon Simmons is the Community Enabler supporting Becca. She said: <\/strong>\u201cWe talked about what kind of things Becca wanted to achieve, and she decided she wanted to do her travel training. As the weeks went by there weren\u2019t any groups that Becca wanted to join, so I took her to Dartmouth Caring and they suggested she might want to do a bit of volunteering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe progressed with the travel training and I gradually stepped back as Becca was able to go on her own on the bus all the way there. We did a story map so she knew where to get off and where she had to cross. Step-by-step it built up her confidence and eventually she was able to do it on her own. It\u2019s great to see how she\u2019s come on. The world\u2019s her oyster. She can put her mind to anything now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The travel training through Reaching for Independence has enabled Becca to enjoy short journeys with Sharon and it has culminated with her being able to travel independently to her voluntary role with Dartmouth Caring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Becca said:<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s really good. Sharon does lovely things with me and I really enjoy it. I got the Stagecoach app thanks to Sharon and that\u2019s how I use the bus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI feel really excited (about volunteering) because it\u2019s really what I wanted to do. Basically we set up the toys and sometimes I bring water to the parents and I help as well. It makes me really happy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becca is now part of a team of around 100 volunteers at Dartmouth Caring, working alongside mostly part-time staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>April Faulkner, Community and Volunteer Engagement Manager at Dartmouth Caring, said:<\/strong> \u201cI chatted with Sharon to find out Becca\u2019s interests and when she was explaining to me how sociable and outgoing and helpful she likes to be, I really felt we could benefit from having Becca on our volunteer team. We were thrilled when Becca was keen to join us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s been wonderful to see Becca\u2019s confidence grow. Her reliability and commitment to helping has meant we can go weekly with our group. It\u2019s been really valuable to have her support. Her sunny disposition and social skills really lend themselves well to this group where people are coming along and looking to connect with other parents and have a good chat with a friendly team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI would hope for Becca that we can help develop her role and give her more responsibilities as time goes on, when it\u2019s right for her, and even look at other volunteering roles within our charity as well. We\u2019re always looking for more people to join us and feel very strongly that it brings as much benefit to the individual volunteering as it does to those they\u2019re helping.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becca\u2019s mum Jane was recommended to contact Reaching for Independence by another parent who had successfully used the service. The scheme supports people to achieve the goals that are most important to them and lead a fulfilling life. Those who are eligible need to have had social care needs identified by an assessment, or have eligible social care needs following initial contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jane said:<\/strong> \u201cNow she\u2019s a young adult we wanted her to find out how much she can do on her own and find that independence. The only way she\u2019s going to find out what she wants to do in the future is by trying lots of different things. Becca had never gone on a bus on her own before, she hadn\u2019t done any volunteering, other than through school which they\u2019d set up and accompanied her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou have so many conflicting things you\u2019re trying to achieve for a young person with special needs, so for someone independent to come and take one of those things from beginning to end and achieve something, that\u2019s wonderful. Gold dust!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe volunteering has really helped because that gives her opportunities at the end of the day and that will open doors for her. It\u2019s great seeing her do these things on her own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think she was probably ready and I didn\u2019t realise. The fact she has come on so well is down to her and with help from Reaching for Independence it\u2019s made all the difference. I\u2019m very proud.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"block_acf-block-6a47709a9c7f0\" class=\"councillor-quote align-right dcc grid-x\">\r\n\t<blockquote class=\"councillor-quote-blockquote medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n                    <div class=\"councillor-quote-title\"><p>Councillor Richard Keeling, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Adults Services, said: <\/p><\/div>\r\n        \t\t<div class=\"councillor-quote-text\"><p>\u201cOur Reaching for Independence team is helping people gain important life skills that are often taken for granted by many of us, but it can open up so many opportunities for our service users. The fact that Becca\u2019s help has made it possible for Dartmouth Caring\u2019s parent and baby group to become a weekly event speaks volumes about the difference people can make in their community. Well done to Becca and to everyone involved in making it possible for her to take up her volunteering role.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/blockquote>\r\n        <div class=\"councillor-quote-aside medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n\t<figure class=\"councillor-quote-image grid-x\">\r\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"small-6 cell medium-12\" src=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/UserData\/8\/7\/5\/Info00011578\/bigpic.jpg\" alt=\"Councillor Richard Keeling\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\r\n        <figcaption class=\"councillor-quote-description small-6 cell medium-12\" >\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=11578\" rel=\"noopener\">Councillor Richard Keeling, Cabinet Member for Adults Services<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n            <\/figure>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \r\n    <\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becca\u2019s advice is for anyone who\u2019s eligible for support from Reaching for Independence to be open to giving it a go. She said: \u201cTry it because it\u2019s really great to get started.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Find out more about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/independent-living\/reaching-for-independence-service\/\">Reaching for Independence Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mencap.org.uk\/learningdisabilityweek\" rel=\"noopener\">Learning Disability Week<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":70136,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[106,24],"tags":[310,2238,2239],"class_list":["post-70135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adult-social-care","category-dcc-homepage","tag-adult-social-care","tag-cllr-richard-keeling","tag-reaching-for-independence","post_format-post-format-video"],"acf":[],"featured_image":{"ID":70136,"title":"IMG_2477","alt":"Becca and her mum with the teams from Dartmouth Caring and Reaching for Independence","description":"","caption":"Becca (left) and her mum Jane (third from right) with the teams from Dartmouth Caring and Reaching for Independence","url":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/06\/IMG_2477-scaled.jpg","width":2048,"height":1536,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/06\/IMG_2477-400x270.jpg","thumbnail_width":400,"thumbnail_height":270,"medium":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/06\/IMG_2477-600x450.jpg","medium_width":600,"medium_height":450,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/06\/IMG_2477-768x576.jpg","medium_large_width":768,"medium_large_height":576,"large":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/06\/IMG_2477-800x600.jpg","large_width":800,"large_height":600,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/06\/IMG_2477-1536x1152.jpg","1536x1536_width":1536,"1536x1536_height":1152,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/06\/IMG_2477-2048x1536.jpg","2048x2048_width":2048,"2048x2048_height":1536,"thumbnail_featured":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/06\/IMG_2477-770x450.jpg","thumbnail_featured_width":770,"thumbnail_featured_height":450,"thumbnail_sidebar":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/06\/IMG_2477-200x135.jpg","thumbnail_sidebar_width":200,"thumbnail_sidebar_height":135,"banner-block":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/06\/IMG_2477-440x440.jpg","banner-block_width":440,"banner-block_height":440,"small-banner":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/06\/IMG_2477-640x480.jpg","small-banner_width":640,"small-banner_height":480,"medium-banner":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/06\/IMG_2477-1024x768.jpg","medium-banner_width":1024,"medium-banner_height":768,"small-thumb":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/06\/IMG_2477-640x480.jpg","small-thumb_width":640,"small-thumb_height":480,"medium-thumb":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/06\/IMG_2477-320x240.jpg","medium-thumb_width":320,"medium-thumb_height":240,"large-thumb":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/06\/IMG_2477-420x315.jpg","large-thumb_width":420,"large-thumb_height":315,"slideshow-preview":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/06\/IMG_2477-300x200.jpg","slideshow-preview_width":300,"slideshow-preview_height":200,"slideshow":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/146\/2026\/06\/IMG_2477-800x533.jpg","slideshow_width":800,"slideshow_height":533}},"category_priority":106,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":true,"date":"2028-06-18 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