Rebecca Brown is 11 years old and has Cerebral Palsy due to complications at birth. She uses a wheelchair, has epilepsy, a sight impairment which causes her to have very limited vision, as well as severe communication difficulties. She requires one to one personal care due to her physical needs.
Rebecca attends a school for children with additional needs, where she has a designated teaching assistant and also a carer who provides her with personal care during the school day.
Rebecca lives with her parents Sue and David and her older sibling Michael who is 12 years of age.
The family live in an upstairs apartment provided by a housing association, which is small and not ‘wheelchair friendly’.
Sue has a part time job at a local day nursery but has to stay at home during the school holidays, in order to care for Rebecca and Michael, reducing the family income.
David works full-time at a local factory, working long hours for a low wage.
The neighbourhood where the Brown family live are not tolerant of Rebecca’s ‘difference’, and the family have received unpleasant comments as they pass neighbours in the street, causing them to avoid going out whenever possible
Ben Grace
Ben Grace is 52yrs old and has Down’s syndrome and type 2 diabetes. He has had his lower left leg amputated after developing gangrene in an ulcer and now uses a wheelchair. Ben has a learning age of 8 and requires support with all aspects of daily living.
Ben lives in supported living with five other adults who have learning disabilities and who also require additional support. Ben previously lived with his mother, but following her death last year, Ben moved to the residential setting and is becoming increasingly withdrawn.
Ben has always enjoyed going shopping, but since he has moved into the residence, he prefers to stay in his room which is a concern for the staff as he is becoming increasingly withdrawn and isolated. This has become worse following an incident with some local youths who shouted abuse at Ben when he went shopping with the residents and carers. Recently, Ben left a local funfair on his own after the manager stated that Ben would not be able to go on any of the rides due to using a wheelchair.
Ben is refusing to keep to the special diet required to control his type 2 diabetes and staff have found bags of sweets under his pillow when making his bed. His blood glucose levels are unstable, resulting in Ben feeling unwell.
