How was it for you?  Your summer holiday that is.

Hopefully you’re restored, refreshed, relaxed, reinvigorated.  It’s important isn’t it.  That break we all value so much, plan ahead of time, secure the dates in the work calendar, decide whether we prefer to go alone, with family or friends.  As autonomous adults we can choose where, when, the budget, and tailor it to suit.

But what of ‘service users’ ( for the record I abhor that term – it makes me want to choke every time I hear it!)?  Are you like me permanently frustrated by the way that the world looks at people differently just because they happen to have learning disabilities?  In my eyes, ‘they’ have the same needs, penchants, sensibilities as the rest of the human race, because that’s what we all are, human beings.

So how did the summer break look for those who are not able to be autonomous?  Seemingly strong aspirations or preferences might come from the influence of TV, or those who hold the power and influence rather than be based on real knowledge of the options available to be explored, or possibly even opportunistically created.

And what service user has had a wonderfully restorative, special, worthwhile summer?

Every person is an individual.  Every person has their own unique interests and the right to explore new experiences or places.

If living in a group home is it automatically assumed that you want to go away with the rest of the house group?  If it is decided that the majority want to go to Disney World, does that mean that you are deprived any opportunity to do something else?  My sense is that holidays for people with learning disabilities are invariably positioned for the majority rather than the individual, and quite possibly for the ease or enjoyment of the carers.

Summer holidays can be as creative or innovative as every other decision we make about life and living.  There are a raft of possibilities to suit all individuals, but that dialogue will only come to fruition if the carers and/or family involved go the extra mile.  It is definitely not a given.

Just asking Jen what she would like to do is a very narrow, very constrained conversation.  Talking about some options or possibilities with the aid of photos, a visit to a travel agent, or internet input will broaden the conversation.  Building on your knowledge of her individual interests can help her to consider new ways of using them to experience alternative opportunities which may not have previously been considered, or something totally new, possibly even radical.

As it turned out this summer, Jen was adamant that she didn’t want to engage with us in a walking holiday in Switzerland in spite of having had a great experience there when a minor.  Was it the place, the activity, or the people that didn’t resonate?  But no matter, the package was wrong.  So together with Jen and her carers we considered the options and arrived at a place which worked for all parties.  Jen got her relaxed break in the sun, we had a healthy dose of mountain air, her carer spent time with her friend she rarely sees, it was very cost effective which benefitted all parties including social services.  But critically, everyone holidayed with the person/people they chose to go away with rather than someone assigned to them.

Happily we are all restored, raring to go and get back in the saddle.

Have you and yours had a wonderfully restorative, special, worthwhile summer?

How many people of the 1.5million people with learning disabilities in the UK had no opportunity to leave their own four walls because no one was available to support them?  Simultaneously there are fewer regular activities with most stopping outside term times.  So with fewer carers or support staff available because many are on holiday with their own families, no ability to act autonomously and likely minimal financial resources, I’m going to assume that the summer break is a pretty dismal isolating boring time for many people with learning disabilities.

Are they restored? Are they refreshed? Are they raring to go? Are they looking forward to the future?   To all of those questions I suspect the answer is a resounding no, no, no, no, no.

I’d love to be proven wrong.  There have to be numerous other exceptions to the rule.  Do you know of a local authority who are exemplary?  If you are that local authority, let’s broadcast how you do it so every person can benefit.