Kurt was referred by a social prescriber at his GP practice. He had been home alone on his computer for a while after a lack of reasonable adjustments at his workplace gave him no other option but to leave.
His connector Bev got to work getting to know Kurt, understanding what was important to him and what life would be like in an ideal world.
The person-centred plan they developed together describes Kurt as “cheerful, hardworking, caring and a bit shy” with dreams of travelling, friendship and securing paid employment topping his list of immediate goals.
First they developed Kurt’s new CV from which he could work with a job coach at The Job Shop in Coventry city centre. Then onto a weekly programme of Help and Connect group sessions to develop his skills and resilience. Known as ‘Top 2 Toe’, the sessions are linked to a friendly WhatsApp chat group where Kurt could slowly get to know others on the project.
With his sense of belonging and self-confidence growing, Bev connected Kurt to Grapevine’s Health Team – a group of people with learning disabilities bringing education and awareness to peers and health professionals on living longer, healthier lives.
Today, Kurt is a valued member of this team – joining in with campaigns and playing roles, on and off camera, that help dispel common myths around disabled people’s prospects of a healthy, happy life.
He has also brought his own experiences to share on the Help and Connect project, returning most recently to co-deliver a workshop he himself had previously attended on digital skills.
Kurt’s passion for technology is a part of his story and he has successfully used this passion to move from using his computer alone at home to enabling others to use technology to become better connected themselves.
“It gave me a sense of purpose and a reason to go out,” said Kurt.
And now feeling more positive about finding work, he says: “I am going to learn from a bad experience to find something better.”
Strengthening Lives
More about our Strengthening Lives work can be found here. Read Grapevine’s five-year strategy here.