Resources and Information (Essex)
You are welcome to use these resources and information as long as the source is acknowledged and there is no infringement of copyright. Please get in touch if you have any queries about this.
Shaping My Future: a guide for people with physical disabilities in Essex
This guide should be helpful to anyone with a disability or long-term condition who would like ideas and information to help think through, and make decisions about, positive changes they’d like to make in their life. It aims to give people information, knowledge and optimism.
Although its main audience is physically disabled people in Essex, there are lots of ideas and information that will be useful to a national audience, as well as to families and supporters of people with learning disabilities.
It was written by Christine Towers at Together Matters with advice, information and contributions from people with lived experience who formed an Expert Reference Group, whose quotes are below:
“I wish I’d had this guide when I was younger to help me understand the options available to me in the future and where to go for advice and support.” Ben Iles
“It’s great how different parts of the guide will be relevant to you at various times in ur life- and you can use the menu to navigate it very easily.” Jade Hamnett
“Your one-stop shop for thriving with a disability in Essex.” Karen Mutsatsa
“I wish Shaping My Future had been available when I first became a full-time carer. It can be used by family and friends so they know what help is available whatever level of support is being looked for.” Leslie Lodge
The guide has an introduction plus six sections, each giving ideas and information about what is possible in important areas of life. You can choose whether to download each of these separately or download the full guide.
Shaping My Future: Introduction
Explains who the guide is for, the content, how it works and gives tips to get the most from it.
Section 1: Planning for change: getting started
Includes ideas and templates, based on person-centred planning tools, to think through what aspects of life are working well at the moment and what could be better. It helps people to think about where they would like to make changes, and plan manageable steps they’d like to take. It also explains various pieces of legislation, such as the Equality Act and the Care Act, so people know their rights that underpin these choices.
Gives ideas for strengthening ties with family and friends. It also suggests ways people can widen the circle of people in their life and be more involved in their local community.
Information about learning new skills, exploring new interests and being in work. It gives details about support and funding that can give practical help and confidence to take up education and employment opportunities.
Section 4: My Home
Suggests ways people can make their housing work best for their situation. It details housing rights and some of the housing options available. This includes advice on finding the right property and getting help with housing costs. There is also information about accessible equipment and adaptations.
Looks at the additional health and wellbeing support people might need and details how to find it. Includes help with mental health, physical activity, relationships, student life and domestic abuse. Explains Personal Health Budgets, Personal Wheelchair budgets and Continuing Healthcare.
Information to help with getting out and about more easily or more often. As well as advice and information about accessible transport and mobility aids, it shares ideas for inclusive activities and accessible places to visit.
Shaping My Future, the complete guide can be downloaded here.
Information is also available from the Essex Council website: https://www.essex.gov.uk/shaping-my-future
We created this guide for Essex County Council: if you would be interested in discussing options for having a similar guide for your local authority please get in touch.
How to be part of the world of work
Our latest resource is a new section of the I’m Thinking Ahead guide: ‘How to be part of the world of work’. The Essex version of the guide includes links to local services and organisations.
It will help families, practitioners in education, social care and health teams and community groups to work together to support people to be part of the world of work.
The PDF contains fillable text boxes (tinted blue) that you can type into to save your ideas. You will need to download and save to create an offline copy.
The coloured tint in the text boxes will not appear when you print a copy.
Thinking Ahead: Family-to-Family
Click here to download an information leaflet on Thinking Ahead: Family-to-Family, a programme of workshops for family carers in Essex.
These workshops are not currently being funded. Please email to express your interest, should they start again in the future.