Hugo de Savary's – living with learning disabilities.

Archive for the ‘LD Resources’ Category

Unfortunately the blog has taken a back seat recently due to a mad schedule of finding myself all over the UK at ‘transition events’. These are held at specialist schools/colleges – their aim is to present the different options that exist post 18 for their students.  I’ve had the privilege to meet some truly amazing people and many have stuck in my mind. At one there was a formidable lady looking for the next step for her foster son who is 16. He’s lived with her for 4 years and prior to that, he had over 30 foster placements that had broken down and been to 15 different schools. It later transpired that she had 3 other foster children as well as her own child all with learning disabilities – she was adamant that she was going to do her research and not settle for second best for this young man.

I have to say these events are draining as many parents have a ticking time bomb on their hands. In the majority of cases, the children at these events will leave college this summer term and nothing has been put into place for this next step. This could be due to several reasons, lack of continuity between different social workers, children being lost in the bureaucratic system or simply exhausted parents who are in a semi state of denial about the current situation. Ideally the best time to be dealing with this is from the age of 14-16, so as to give plenty of time to assess the different options available, enabling the final decision to be fully informed.

You might be thinking, what are the options? Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting the Thomas Centre set up by hospitable parents; Richard and Jean Crean, who have a communication impaired child, Thomas. They have a real family business similar to Home from Home Care with their daughter Lizzie and Thomas’s aunty Val all involved in their own way.

As a family they have first hand experience of  the difficulties of finding suitable holiday destinations, so their centre is a new concept offering stress free holidays designed specifically for families affected by Learning Disabilities. Indeed whether you have a link with learning disabilities or not, the self catering accommodation, consisting of six units of various sizes, housed within converted barns, are of an incredibly high standard and could give any place a run for its money in terms of quality. The on-site facilities, both indoors and out, are extensive with no chance of anyone being bored – my favourite being the very warm indoor swimming pool.

The centre is located between the picturesque Lincolnshire Wolds and the East coast, with seal infested sandy beaches, pretty market towns and country parks all within easy reach.