Laura’s ‘amazing’ adventures

Laura is 24 years old and is bubbly with a great sense of humour and a passion for anything sporty, especially football. She’s a lifelong Coventry City fan but will watch almost any match that takes her fancy (as long as it’s not Manchester United!).

However, when Laura first moved in to our Coventry supported living home, trying new things wasn’t easy for her. Her biggest fear was failing and not being able to complete tasks for herself. This made her understandably hesitant and sometimes frustrated when faced with new things.

The turning point came when her support team looked more closely at the reasons behind her hesitations. The team realised that her visual impairment was affecting her confidence and adding an extra layer of challenge, making the unknown feel even more intimidating. With this understanding, they began to create approaches tailored to Laura and what they knew about her.

Her team, alongside Laura and her family, developed personalised strategies to build her confidence. Adaptive approaches like tactile prompts, hands-on guidance and audio cues became part of her daily life, transforming tasks and new experiences into accessible adventures.

Gradually, Laura’s world began to expand. The team encouraged her to try familiar activities and gently supported her toward new experiences. Every success, from washing up to trying new foods, was celebrated. Some of her most memorable milestones include making her own phone calls to book a haircut or report home repairs, and most recently, speaking with the librarian to renew her books, handling the conversation on her own with ease. These may seem like small steps, but they were enormous challenges for Laura, that she has managed to overcome!

Laura has also been on holiday for the first time in many years and for the first time ever without her family. The experience has given her the ‘travel bug’ and Laura now wants to make travel a regular part of her life. She’s already thinking of her next destinations, with Scotland at the top of her list!

Laura’s journey is a reminder of the difference we make simply by listening to and getting to know people. By being creative in our approaches and brave in trying new things together, Laura has been able to build confidence and independence. She continues to inspire us all, reminding us that with the right support, every challenge can be an opportunity and every step forward is something to be proud of.

Laura said:

There’s only one word that comes to mind for me and that is ‘amazing’! I enjoy the challenges and they make me feel proud of myself.