For most of us freedom is taken as a given. It is assumed that unless you have committed offences punishable by imprisonment, that we are free to be our own person.

If we accept that every person is a human being with equal human rights, then we all have the self same right to freedom. As we are all unique individuals with our own talents and assets, society possesses an immense resource of diversity presenting a kaleidoscope of opportunity for us all to embrace and be embraced.

What does freedom mean to you? How do you experience freedom? Maybe a summer holiday, weekends away, cycling with friends, or curling up with a good book?

I love nothing better than being in the great outdoors. I find freedom in

Freedom to sail in Scotland

the mountains, on the ocean, when making music, creating arts or allowing my thoughts free rein to roam. My heart and soul are freed from the insistent demands and chattels of life.

But countless thousands of others are trapped, people such as refugees constrained in immigration centres, people coerced by others, those caught in the poverty trap unsure where they will be living next week, the homeless, people with mental haealth challenges and more often than not, people with learning disabilities who society sees fit to confine ‘out of sight and out of mind’ in places such as day centres, assessment and treatment units, and residential homes for the elderly for a person in their 40s.

This is a travesty of the 21st century. This is abhorrent uncaring behaviour metered out to the most vulnerable in society and unseen by most citizens in the UK. Who has the right to constrain another human being who through no fault of their own, happens to have been born with a learning disability? In my eyes, I believe that it should be the absolute reverse. I believe that we, society, owe it to anyone who has learning disabilities to lean over backwards to make their lives the best they can possibly be.

What does freedom mean to them? What must we do to support them so their soul is liberated and they experience fulfilment?

First we must find that nugget of gold that resides in every person. We must listen, foster and nurture it. We must give it space to breathe and to develop, and recognise that what we see as the obvious way forward may be totally wrong for that person with learning disabilities. We may be missing stepping stones along the way or heading up the wrong path, or pushing rather than gently guiding. We may need to trial more or different opportunities to come to an informed decision. Every door you open leads to 6 more, but which one to try next? In our experience only the nearest and dearest to the person with learning disabilities will have the tenacity to stay the course and navigate the numerous challenges along the route.

Once found, gradually the locus of control will shift. Imperceptibly maybe, but over time as people experience having the right to be their own person, as you and I take as a given, self respect and self confidence will follow as night follows day. This is the 3rd way in social care. This way every person gains, people with and without learning disabilities, and the public purse as people gradually move from a manifested dependency on services to becoming contributors taking increasing control of their own lives. Given time this generates freedom of thought and deed, of body and soul. Such freedom is liberating but all too rarely experienced by people with learning disabilities.

In our personal lives, Jen is free to be her own person by virtue of dedicated insightful carers supporting her needs and aspirations. Jen is a dancer, co-founder of the multi award winning charity DanceSyndrome, and a recipient of a BEM in the first King’s Birthday Honours. Jen has Down’s syndrome. She loves living independently of us in her own home, holding audiences in the palm of her hand, living the life of her choosing following her dream to get the world dancing and her hobbies including participating in Karate and keeping abreast of WWE wrestling as well as the fortunes of Manchester City Football Club. Yet to be achieved is engaging the football supporters by dancing with DanceSyndrome at Ethiad Stadium!

It angers me when I look back at the doom mongers who told me that Jen was a waste of space, would achieve nothing, should be put in a home and forgotten about. What gave them the right to predetermine Jen’s future? And wouldn’t they be eating their words just now – paediatricians, genealogists, educational psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, teachers, speech and language therapists – beware!

Please never jump to conclusions, and never judge a book by its cover. Never assume that you know best because you are a trained professional. Be open to listening and learning from all involved in the lives of that person with learning disabilities. Give them the benefit of the doubt and you never know, you may find yourself facilitating the incredible and the unexpected which just tumbled out of thin air.

Please listen, and listen intelligently. Support, nurture, enable people to communicate in their preferred language of choice in a time and space that works for them – when washing up or in the car driving being two of Jen’s favourites.

Rejoice as you witness the joy of happiness bubble to the surface from a person you have empowered and set on their path to freedom.

If you’re in Edinburgh this week, you can watch Jen and the DanceSyndrome professional dance team in their new show SENse – Thursday, Friday and Saturday at The Space, Niddry Street. Get your tickets here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sense and see what’s possible when we allow and support freedom for each individual person.