Due to the extent of his communication difficulties Thomasz struggles to communicate at the golf club and is largely unable to participate. Their is an event coming up at the golf club and Thomasz needs to make the ‘prize giving’ speech. Thomasz has indicated that he would like to be able to speak at the event but he feels self conscious. It will be noisy with lots of conversations going on at the same time. He wants to practice ahead of the day with SLT. Working with the SLT, utilising prompts and tools Thomasz is reassured that the speech does not need to be perfect. The value of participating will help build his confidence.
A fellow club member remembers seeing a poster for the Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Advice Line and calls them. The Advice Line provides information on a local outreach service. This service provides volunteers who act as conversation partners supporting individuals to participate more fully in activities. The volunteer visits Thomasz at home to find out what difficulties he is having at the golf club.
Thomasz attends the golf club event the following week with his conversation partner.
| Thomasz’ worries | Agreed adaptations |
|---|---|
Not being able to keep up with conversations |
Thomasz and the group agree he will indicate when he has something to say. |
| Getting mixed up in club meetings and struggles to complete his scorecard when playing |
Thomasz and the group agree how to deal with potential mistakes |
| Not playing as well as he used to and letting his teammates down |
Freddy practises with Thomasz |
They all agree that they will take it a step at a time and be honest about how it is working. Thomasz is reassured and when he returns to the club he realises that, although it might take a while, he is beginning to feel more like himself. Even small adaptations can make a huge impact by allowing a situation to become more accessible to people with a variety of impairments.
Page last reviewed: 18 Jan 2021
