“Robert started with Enable Ireland in Arklow in October of 2023. At first he went in for an hour and then for half days. Just to ease himself into the service. He had finished school in June and been at home since then, so to go straight into a full five days a week schedule would have been too much.

I didn’t know what to call the new service at first so that Rob would be comfortable going in. A ‘Day Service’ didn’t mean anything to Rob so we decided to call it his new school. He understood the concept then and I could say, ‘This is your new school and Kenny will be minding you when you are here and I will be back to pick you up later.’

Kenny is Rob’s keyworker. He has really taken the time to get to know Rob and find out his likes and his interest.Kenny will ring me and say ‘I’m thinking of doing this with Rob. Do you think he would like that?’ That was very reassuring for me.

Rob had been with St. Catherine’s Special School from when he was a toddler so I was very comfortable with their services but I didn’t know Enable Ireland at all. We had no idea what Adult Services would be like.

Moving from children’s services and the school’s system has been a big change for all of us. Rob is nonverbal and he has epilepsy, so I was nervous moving to a new service provider but I have seen that Enable Ireland are more than capable of looking after him. They have all been fantastic. They are very person-centred and always thinking of new activities that Rob might enjoy but also gently encouraging him to give something that he might be reluctant to do a try. Kenny treats him like any other 20 year old. He gives him a fist bump to say goodbye at the end of the day.

From January of this year, Rob has been going full time to the service and it’s just gotten better and better for him.

It really has been a game changer for him. He was quite bored over the last two years of school. It just didn’t suit him and he had no interest in the curriculum. The activities he does in the day service have really upped his game in terms of his participation in life and in his community. They do lots of different activities and they get out and about a lot which means he is interacting with people in the community, even if it is just to say ‘hi’ and ‘thank you.’

The fact that we live in Arklow as well means that he is seeing neighbours and people we know. He’s visible in his community and that’s really important.

Rob loves to go swimming, so one afternoon a week Kenny takes him out on his own swimming in a  local hotel. He even got to try a Jacuzzi for the first time. He loved it!

Going into Bridgewater Shopping Centre, where the service is based, is normal for him now and getting a cup of coffee or doing some grocery shopping. He’s much more comfortable in these surroundings and this also makes our lives on the weekend easier if we have to pop out and get some groceries.

When he comes home in the afternoon, he has had a full day of activities with physical and mental stimulation. So he is tired and wants to chill out. It means he sleeps much better at night as well.

It is difficult making the transition from children’s to adult services. You don’t really know what to expect but it has worked out really well for Robert and he’s very happy with the team in Arklow.”