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My move into supportive accommodation

Cerebral Palsy Scotland volunteer Marion

This blog from Marion is about her experience with moving into supportive accommodation and some of the changes and challenges she has had to face in the process.

Hello everyone again. This blog which you are about to read will be about my experience with moving into supportive accommodation. I will also talk a bit about my previous houses, as well as the huge change I needed to make to my life.

I first moved into my own flat in 2008, and at the time I was supported for most of the week including overnights. I became an advocacy worker and  worked regularly in an office, which I loved. I had a great team of support workers and some are still great friends. Over time I moved to another house at the other side of Paisley. I got support but unfortunately I did not get full support while I was there but it was still nice to have a bit of independence. I also became a volunteer at Cerebral Palsy Scotland.

All my life, my parents and I always promoted my independence since attending the Bobath Centre in London from the age of one. “She does the work, not you”, I can still hear my dad saying!

In 2020, before the pandemic, my Social Work Department offered me the chance of moving into supportive accommodation. I wasn’t that keen on the idea but I knew for the future that was the best option for me. I got the keys to my new flat finally in the August.

During the lock-down period I had many zoom meetings to set up my service with my service provider. I finally got my team of support workers this March after months of interviews.

In May I moved in. For the first time in my life I was on my own at night. I can get support if I need it from an on-site core team. It is still hard to get used to.

It has not been that easy for me to deal with all the changes I needed to make to my life, like using a hoist instead of a stand aid because of my service provider’s rules.

Another change is, I can’t sit on my sofa every night. That means I’m in my wheelchair for nearly 15 hours a day.

Being brought up one way, e.g. therapy, doing what I want without thinking about how I can get to the toilet when I am out, and also being able to stand many times a day, I now need to adjust to another way.  I need to use a hoist, so I feel my world has become more limited. That is what I’m struggling with big time.

I feel like I need to make the best I can out of the situation that I find myself in. My advice to people who find themselves in a similar situation is, you have to be patient and keep going.

Even if you are worried you have to give it a good try and you may be amazed by what you can do.

Tags: accommodation, blog, Cerebral Palsy, supportive accommodation

Using my toe to type

Image of Barry smiling at the camera

In this blog, Barry talks about the skills he has developed to allow him to type and use a computer.

Hi, it is Barry Smith or Baz as I like to be called by my friends. As you all know I have cerebral palsy, but it doesn’t stop me from writing on my computer.

Image of Barry using his foot to typeBut I don’t use my hands. I have a big keyboard with an overlay on top of it. Down to my hands is very jumping which comes off of my CP, I type with my big toe. Then down to me can’t work a mouse, I use a jelly skill and work it with my foot.

I started using my big toe do things when I was 6 years old, like working the video. When I was 19 years old I got roll ball I move it with my toe.

In 2013 when I was doing a computing course at my local college, a boy looked in my classroom. One of the staff asked him what he were doing, thinking he was up to no good. He told her, I can’t get over him using his toe!

I use my skills to communicate to people what I want in my life. How I feel about having CP – if my hands can’t do something and my big toe or foot can, then I use them. My legs might can’t walk, but this won’t stop me.

Tags: blog, Cerebral Palsy, Communication

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Bradbury House
10 High Craighall Road
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t: 0141 352 5000
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