Volunteers needed to support disabled people for communication pilot

Donna Duffy uses her letter board with Danielle Turner, Honresfeld’s volunteer coordinator

A residential service in Littleborough has launched a pilot communication project for disabled people and is seeking enthusiastic volunteers who can offer their support.

Honresfeld, a Leonard Cheshire Disability service on Halifax Road, is encouraging volunteers to get involved in UCommunicate, an initiative designed to help disabled people who have communication difficulties or who are unable to speak, to communicate more effectively.

Honresfeld is home to 25 disabled people and provides support to people with a range of disabilities, including acquired brain injuries and neurological conditions.

Friendly, enthusiastic volunteers are needed to help support Amy Shackleton, the UCommunicate associate at Honresfeld, and take part in a variety of activities focusing on communication. These will include group work, one-to-ones and community trips. Volunteers will be in charge of running conversation groups to encourage people to communicate with each other.

Every volunteer will receive training from Honresfeld’s volunteer coordinator, Danielle Turner, as well as a trained communication expert.

The aim of UCommunicate is ultimately to boost the confidence and independence of people involved in the project, as they are supported to communicate more effectively.

Danielle said: “We are looking for people with good communication skills, who are reliable, patient and enthusiastic to help us make the most out of the UCommunicate project. If this sounds like you, please get in touch with us. Honresfeld welcomes all new faces and this is an excellent opportunity for people in the local community to try something new and gain valuable skills.”

Amy has been supporting resident Donna Duffy to communicate more effectively by creating a letter board for her, so Donna can point at letters to spell out words. Amy has also developed a ‘passport’ for Donna, a booklet with information all about her, such as her likes and dislikes and her favourite things to do.

Donna Duffy said: “I can communicate more effectively now by using my letter board. I like people to read my passport so they know about my family members and I can talk about them.”