Occupational Therapy News OTnews October 2018 | Page 47

VOLUNTEERING FEATURE
all-inclusive holiday looks like with families
and friends with a whole range of needs,
all taking part in activities side by side.’
As part of the Buddy scheme, Hayley
volunteered along with other Buddies to
enable those with low-level needs, such
as needing prompts with their medication
and what to pack for the day, to attend the
centre on their own or with a friend.
‘Alongside the group of visitors with
mild learning disabilities I was working
with were a number of other visitors with a
wide range of needs, including those with
sensory impairments, Autistic Spectrum
Disorder, wheelchair users and those with
profound and multiple disabilities,’ Hayley
goes on.
‘The group instructors were fantastic
‘‘
at planning the activities to meet
the needs of
their group
and ensure
No matter how
everyone was
complex people’s needs are,
able to enjoy
the activities
with my new understanding of
and challenge
what people can do and how
themselves;
activities can be adapted I hope
developing
that I can support people to
their confidence
and sense of
engage in the activities they
achievement.
want to...
‘Many of the
people in the group had
very limited experiences of
taking part in more adventurous
activities and needed lots of reassurance, with activities being
graded to enable them to take part at a level comfortable for them.’
Hayley stresses that the centre has ‘fantastic onsite facilities,
including its own high ropes course, wheelchair challenge course
and climbing walls, where the whole angle of the wall can be
adjusted to enable visitors to use this with greater ease’.
She adds: ‘Activities within the beautiful Lake District countryside
are also made accessible, with hand bikes, horse and trap rides,
canoes and sailing in a catamaran’.
Following the action packed days, evenings were spent relaxing
in the onsite sensory room or in the heated, accessible pool, which
has a ceiling track hoist from the