Celebrating and supporting range
In a great world, there could be no want for consciousness days, weeks and months. There could be no marginalisation, misrepresentation or ignorance, simply open societies, totally supportive of the range of the human situation.
After all, we don’t dwell on this utopian state of grace, which is why it’s so essential well being and care points proceed to have their moments within the solar.
Learning Disability Week isn’t any totally different. Like many consciousness elevating occasions this yr, there’s a give attention to post-pandemic reconnection. Individuals with studying disabilities and people who help them proceed to course of the difficulties of the final two years and reacquaint themselves with society.
As care staff, we noticed first-hand how day after day challenges grew to become additional difficult by the restrictions of lockdown. Typically, I think, we felt just a little helpless as we noticed those that wanted human connection probably the most, pressured to isolate to guard themselves and others. It was vital after all to save lots of lives, however we couldn’t assist however empathise with their misery – we felt that very same fear, nervousness and loss in our personal lives.
The pandemic’s lingering results
I really feel it’s so essential we preserve these shared experiences in our minds as we proceed to help folks with studying disabilities. The pandemic could have dropped down the information agenda, but it surely continues to have an effect on all our lives, typically in refined methods we could not all the time take heed to.
Daily, whereas our help will all the time be emotionally and bodily enabling, we nonetheless must give attention to areas of vital care, resembling an infection prevention and management (IPC). This isn’t simply essential in medical or managed care settings, however in domiciliary care and different environments the place we attempt to keep up a person’s autonomy and security. On this respect, we should be educators as a lot as carers, serving to folks navigate typically advanced processes as a way to keep secure and linked.
We’d be failing in our duties as skilled carers if we didn’t do what we will to assist folks with studying disabilities dwell full, completely happy and satisfying lives. Learning Disability Week is a chance to remind us all of their unimaginable potential to thrive and our duty to assist them just do that.
