As we near the end of Learning Disability Week 2025, we’re returning to the weeks’ theme, Do You See Me?, by sharing Adventurer Kate’s personal story.
Kate’s experiences of social care before and since being supported by Brandon, were shared with delegates at the annual conference for Care and Support West earlier this week. Find out more about the conference in our article: Learning from the past to co-create the future of social care.
Reflecting on the failings of the past
Her powerful testimony reflects on the failings of the past in social care, when people with learning disabilities weren’t enabled to live their lives as they wanted. When they were too often denied the chance to live with freedom, dignity, and choice. It also highlights the positive impact that the support provided by Brandon makes in the lives of people with a learning disability.
Below, Kate explains in her own words, what life was like when she wasn’t able to make her own choices – when she wasn’t seen for all she is capable of.
She also reveals how much better her life is now since being supported by Brandon.
‘I didn’t feel valued’
I lived with 24 people for a year and it was not very good. I couldn’t even take my meds myself, they wouldn’t let me.
I didn’t feel valued as a human being.
Staff didn’t treat me like a human being, they treated me like I was non-existent. I feel like a different person now, but back then all my confidence was gone.
The only reason I was let out of the building was for the doctor or dentist because everything else was done in the house. I didn’t get a choice on what I wanted to eat and drink but if you didn’t like it you still had to eat it. We all had to eat at the same time, even if we weren’t hungry.
Breakfast was at 9am, so we all had to get up every day at 6.15am even if I didn’t want to. If I was tired, I couldn’t sleep in.
‘They thought I didn’t have capacity’
I lost complete control over my whole life; it was taken away from me. They took away my independence.
The staff didn’t listen to my thoughts and feelings and I had to have a MCA assessment because they thought I didn’t have capacity.
When it was found I did have capacity they didn’t believe me. I knew I had it, that’s how horrible it was, and they still didn’t let me have my own choices and decisions.
I was very depressed when I was living there and couldn’t see a way out. I felt completely stuck and trapped.
‘Today, I’m a confident young woman’
Luckily, I did move eventually. I ended up going from service to service, one to the other, until I found where I am today.
Today, I am confident young woman, happy and I now have two jobs which I love.
I feel valued as a person and now know what I’m capable of. I’ve got it all back now.
It took a long time to rebuild myself. I had to go to counselling to get it out of my head.
‘I will use my experience to help others’
Working with Brandon and in the community, has really improved my confidence. It makes me feel like I’m worth something now. I will continue to build on it and use my experience to help others.
We should never go back to that treatment because how we were living is not normal. The way we were treated is not normal. It can make you go crazy and your mental health isn’t good, it’s enough to break a person.
It’s a lot to deal with when you don’t have a voice, any control, or anyone there to help you.
