Independence is Key
The Operational Director of OKU Support at London Council Describes the Need for Developing Independence
One of the big challenges we face in our disabilities service is providing clients with learning disabilities with the support they need to develop personal independence and have the best life opportunities possible.
Most clients with learning disabilities have the capacity to learn and implement new skills that give them a pathway to a more independent life. We find that personal independence is a key factor when it comes to employment for people with learning disabilities. It is our aim to provide our clients with learning disabilities with better long-term outcomes and give them access to the tools that can help them to achieve this.
Many clients with learning disabilities grow up in very supportive and protective families. This often means that their natural desire for more independence can be met with opposition.
Self Sufficiency
If we want to enhance clients’ self-sufficiency, we need to empower individuals to learn and develop new skills for themselves, rather than solely through their carers. Creating learning opportunities that don’t require a direct interaction with a caregiver is therefore an alternative or addition that has great potential. For people with learning disabilities, a good way to develop new skills can be through performing a sequence of activities themselves as it allows them to do a task rather than just understand it