The Secret Life of Ben and Jo
Ben, 16, is a Scout leader, loves his PS4 and dreams of going to university to study archaeology. Bright and chatty, he has a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome and clinical depression.
Read More...The #SecretLifeOfUs campaign aims to provide families with disabled children an opportunity to have their experiences heard.
It brings to life the realities of the challenges disabled children, young people and their families face in living a life that many other members of society will not have to even consider. It reveals the parts of their lives that most people simply do not see.
Scroll to the bottom of this page to see blogs and videos from families with disabled children sharing their #SecretLifeOfUs. Share them and help us spread the word.
Having a disabled child is not a tragedy nor a cause for pity. The injustice is that families do not receive the support to which they are entitled to and that barriers exist in society that prevent families from have equality in opportunity to others. During the pandemic, this situation was only made worse by even more support services being delayed.
Every parent carer, disabled young person and family member has the potential to achieve great things in society – but all too often these barriers, and restricted support, stop the entire family from being able to achieve their full potential.
Developed in close partnership with parents, #SecretLifeOfUs campaigns to raise awareness of these barriers, change attitudes, challenge myths, and create better understanding.
Are you a parent carer or disabled young person? Please email us to share your #SecretLifeOfUs (disabledchildrens.partnership@mencap.org.uk). It could be a blog, video, poem or more. You could share challenges you face, or lovely positive experiences your family sees.
Read and share #SecretLifeOfUs stories below.
The Secret Life of Becky
Getting a diagnosis for autism spectrum disorder can be unexpectedly challenging for girls, as Becky, 11, has discovered.
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The Secret Life of Ben
Ben loves going to music concerts. But to do that, you have to scope out the venue beforehand. He needs changing facilities and if we’re lucky, the venue will have nice, close parking.
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The Secret Life of Ryan
Despite the fact that he has severe short-term memory loss and is unable to use one side of his body, 21-year-old Ryan attends college, loves going to the cinema and is massively into music and fashion.
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