A case study on independence

Dan and Marion Stanton, with Steve Halse and Ian Mallinson

Dan is 25 years old and lives in his own flat. Nothing remarkable about that, except that he has severe cerebral palsy - meaning that he cannot move or talk.

His mum is able to live 90 miles away thanks to the brilliant set up he has.

Two senior personal assistants share 24/7 support and supervise a team of 4 personal assistants, with help from Dan, his mum and his step-dad. How do they keep in touch and make sure everything is done with Dan's best interests in mind?

1. Record keeping - everything is written down and emailed daily to parents.
2. Talking Mats is a decision-making system that most PAs and most people with learning difficulties can learn to use.
3. Having two rather than one person in charge means that working together is vital and safeguards Dan, as well as his PAs.

This presentation will be led by Dan, his mum and his senior PAs, who will each share their perspectives.

Contact: danstanton@btinternet.com

View Dan's PowerPoint presentation (PPT)

(Please note: because of the size of the two video files in Dan's presentation, we have had to take them out of the PowerPoint file, and load them separately below. We apologise for any inconvenience.)

Dan communicating

Teen alien

Biography

Dan Stanton - Below is the Talking Mat that I did to say some of the things that have been important in my life. I'll be talking more about this. I am nearly 26 and I have Cerebral Palsy. I live in my own flat and have support from personal assistants paid for by Direct Payments. I love football. I like ghost hunting and ghost stories. I love to travel. I like camping.