ECL supports Dan to achieve his ambitions
Dan has been attending ECL’s Bocking Learning Disabilities Day Centre once a week for five years. He hopes to soon find a home of his own and the centre is helping him to prepare for living independently with its ‘everyday living skills’ sessions.
Dan, 29, has been attending ECL’s Bocking Learning Disabilities Day Centre every Wednesday since 2019. He takes part in a wide range of activities including shop-and-cook sessions, community outings, and independent living skills. With a passion for the outdoors, Dan especially enjoys horticulture and woodwork.
Dan is autistic and can sometimes display behaviours that others find challenging, particularly when he talks in detail about crime documentaries – which he finds interesting but which can make others feel uneasy. To support him, staff work closely with Dan to plan a structured, engaging day that helps him feel settled and focused.
Dan can find it particularly stressful when plans change unexpectedly, to help him with this, his support team redirects his attention towards practical tasks and coping strategies to keep him grounded, reducing his stress and helping him adapt.
Building independence is a major goal for Dan. At the day centre he is able to practice everyday living skills such as cooking, using a washing machine, and making a bed.
His ECL support workers also helped Dan to prepare for his driving theory test, using mobile apps and tailored learning sessions to ensure success. He passed his driving test recently and proudly shared with his support team how excited and accomplished he felt filling the car up with petrol for the first time. Being able to do what may seem like small everyday tasks to some, means a great deal to Dan as he works towards independence. He now enjoys driving regularly, sharing the family car with his parents. He has even taken a round trip to Norfolk!
My goals are to get a job, move out of my family home and save for my own car...I want to earn my own money to put petrol in my car and pop to the shop to grab milk independently.”
Dan
Dan is now working with his social worker to find a home of his own. Once he’s settled, he hopes to move into paid employment and has been referred to ECL’s Inclusive Employment team to take the first steps. He has already started working on his CV and exploring the types of jobs that might suit him with his Inclusive Employment Job Coach, Paul. As a car enthusiast, his dream job would be to work in a mechanics.
Dan said: “My goals are to get a job, move out of my family home and save for my own car. I’m 30 next year and want a family, just like everyone else my age. I want to earn my own money to put petrol in my car and pop to the shop to grab milk independently.”
Dan plans to continue attending the day centre once a week while he settles into independent living and prepares for employment. This gives him stability while his support workers help him build the skills he’ll need when he moves into his own place.
Dan’s story reflects ECL’s commitment to helping people build confidence, learn new skills, and achieve their independence goals - through personalised support and strong partnership working across its services.
