Abandoned as a baby in Cambodia, Veasna – better known as V – came to the UK as a refugee at the age of two. His life has been transformed since moving to Shaftesbury Ashley Place, making him a great example of how we’re opening doors for people with disabilities, helping them to overcome barriers they face in life.
V has Cerebral palsy and is non-verbal so uses head gestures and assistive aids to communicate. In the past he’s been overlooked or ignored because he uses a wheelchair. As his friend and advocate Sarah puts it: “People see the wheels and write him off”.
It’s frustrating for V who has good cognitive ability and dislikes being reliant on others.
His experience at the residential service he lived at previously made him anxious and unhappy. He didn’t have choices around food and wasn’t allowed to go out alone, something he had always done. Being someone who doesn’t like conflict, V became too scared to raise his concerns and staff would often ignore him.
With the support of a speech and language therapist who had spoken up about V being mistreated, Sarah took action and arranged the move to Shaftesbury. He feels empowered again and is enjoying having more freedom.
Through his communication device, V told us: “I’ve lived here (Shaftesbury Ashley Place) for one year and made friends. I trust big and it’s given me back my independence.”
Not only is V now able to go out independently to meet up with Sarah and get a haircut, he can also enjoy following martial arts and building Lego. His laughter and sense of fun is infectious. He loves to get involved with whatever is going on – even dressing up as Father Christmas last year!
When his care manager from the local authority visited recently, they were ‘shocked and overwhelmed’ by the difference and by V’s obvious happiness and levels of contentment.
“The full, fulfilled and happy life V is living now is what we strive for when we support someone,” says Shaftesbury Chief Executive, Sally Chivers.
“Our doors are always open, and every day we work alongside the people we support to open even more. This Christmas, through our Opening Doors campaign, we are encouraging everyone to think differently – to recognise the barriers that exist and to support us to tackle them so everyone can take part, be included, feel valued and flourish – just like V.”
For more on our Opening Doors campaign, visit shaftesburygroup.org/opening-doors