International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2024
3rd December is International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) as marked since 1992 by the United Nations and World Health Organisation. People with disabilities are among Catholic Care's service-users, staff, volunteers, and supporters. As a charity, we concentrate on a person’s abilities and not their disabilities. We encourage people to live life to the full, and the people with disabilities in our Catholic Care family certainly did that in 2024.
In the UK, the Equality Act (2010) defines someone as disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities.
IDPD is an opportunity to learn about and challenge the barriers that persons with disabilities experience to everyday functioning, good health, and opportunities. The day is about promoting the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities at every level of society, and to raise awareness of their situation in all aspects of political, social, economic, and cultural life.
The theme of IDPD 2024 is “Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future“. This recognises the role of persons with disabilities in creating a more inclusive and sustainable world, and the importance of their participation in decision-making that affects their lives.
To mark #IDPD2024 Catholic Care shares here a few stories of persons with disabilities who have taken a leading role in decisions that affect them.
N casts his vote
N. is a tenant at Catholic Care’s Supported Living Service for Adults with Learning Disabilities in Shipley. The photo opposite, taken by Support Worker Jessica Dewhirst, shows N. casting his postal ballot in the July 2024 General Election.
Deborah O’Brien, Domiciliary Care Manager in our Learning Disabilities Service, writes … ‘N. wanted to say “My Voice, My Vote”, and chose to do a postal vote, which he enjoyed doing. Staff from the local authority visited Bradford Road to chat with N. about voting, and he was very happy to show them his picture.’
Under UK law, people with learning disabilities have full voting rights, and those who support them may not make decisions about voting on their behalf. The charity Mencap campaigns to make all elections inclusive and accessible for people with a learning disability. They’ve worked with the Electoral Commission to produce accessible guides to support people in being able to vote, and worked with the main political parties to ensure there are easy read versions of their manifestos.
Supporting people with mental health disabilities
Definitions vary, but broadly speaking an ‘illness’ is a physical or mental impairment that lasts a limited period of time, whereas a ‘disability’ is an enduring condition that has a substantial negative effect. In the UK, a diagnosed mental health condition can be regarded as a disability if it endures for over a year.
There are many different types of mental health condition which can lead to a disability, including: dementia; obsessive compulsive disorder; and depression, which is the most common mental disorder in Britain with 8 in 100 people meeting the criteria for diagnosis.
Catholic Care has done a lot in 2024 to support employees, volunteers, and service-users living with mental health disabilities. This includes:
- Time to Talk Day on 1st February (pictured) when staff at Head Office came together to discuss mental health and play games for relaxation.
- Appointing Wellbeing Promoters across our various services who have undertaken Mind’s mental health training and are available to support colleagues and service-users.
- Mindfulness training organised by our Community Team.
- A gardening group was set up in May at Foundry Mill, Catholic Care’s mental health accommodation facility.
- Regular items in the internal charity newsletter about mental health awareness.
- Free counselling offered to staff and public by professional therapists.
M. knows what she wants
M. is a tenant at Catholic Care’s Service for Adults with Learning Disabilities in Leeds.
M. loves to take a snack to Day Centre, and will always opt for celebrity chef Ainsley Harriot’s cup soup. In the Spring of 2024, with support, M. reached out to Ainsley Harriot on social media to tell him his soups are her favourite snack to take. Ainsley’s team responded back to M., saying “Thank you for your message M., this is so lovely to hear. At the request of Ainsley, we’d like to send you something to show his appreciation.”
M. was delighted to receive a large package in the post with no less than 20 boxes of Ainsley’s cup soups – a total of 100 soup sachets! – and she was thrilled. Needless to say, M. is well and truly stocked up on them now for the visits to the Day Centre!
Supporting the Catholic Deaf Community
In 2024 Catholic Care employed its first Communication Support Worker for the Catholic Deaf Community in the Diocese of Leeds.
Helen Keedy supports the deaf adults who come together for a monthly Mass and other activities. In October the group made a visit to the monastery of Carmelite nuns at Thicket Priory near York (pictured) and are planning a pilgrimage to Walsingham in 2025.
Our home, our choice of decor!
In June 2024 tenants at South Craven – Catholic Care’s Supported Living Service for Adults with Learning Disabilities in Keighley – decided it was time to brighten up their home with a burst of fresh colour.
The photo shows S. who got to work with wallpaper and painting.
This is just one example of the many ways in which adults with learning disabilities make their own decisions and put them into practice.
Taking control and reaching for the skies
In May, Catholic Care paid for C. – a tenant at our Supported Living Service for Adults with Learning Disabilities in Baildon – to have his first helicopter flight.
After a safety demonstration from the pilot, C. and senior support worker Peter Crunden were whisked across Leeds and Wetherby.
Flying over the village where TV soap Emmerdale is filmed, C. got the opportunity to take control of the helicopter. After landing back at Leeds Heliport, C. received a certificate of his achievement.
Setting our own destinations
As well as running a residential home for adults with learning disabilities (House of Light in Leeds), Catholic Care runs a dozen supported living services across West Yorkshire. Residents and tenants get to choose where they’d like to go on holiday, accompanied by support workers.
Popular destinations this year included Llandudno, Blackpool, and Benidorm. Pictured here are tenants from our Service in Bingley enjoying Mediterrannean sunshine.
