My name is Yvonne and I want to tell you about my 11 year old son Harris.

Harris is a wonderful boy who is full of personality and love. He is my world. He is also autistic, and because of this, he struggles with anxiety and wasnt attending school which was having a real impact on my own health.

I reached out to ENABLE Scotlands Welfare Advice Service for help to access Harris benefits, and I was told about the other services they run both across Scotland and local to me.

I was put in touch with ENABLE Scotlands team in my area and they contacted the school and advocated on Harris behalf to help us put a plan in place to support his attendance. That worked brilliantly, and Harris started attending school again with the right support in place.

ENABLE Scotland also linked us in with support in our community, and Harris has now learnt to ride a bike and joined a local rugby club, which he loves. I joined their network of parents and carers called Family Connect, where I met people in a similar position to me. That helped my confidence and made me realise that I was not alone.

During the pandemic, I regularly joined ENABLE Scotlands programmes online which became a lifeline when my grandparents became very ill and I needed somewhere to turn for support.

ENABLE Scotland helped my family to better understand our options for care and the rights of my grandparents to control their own support just like they had with Harris. We were able to find the right support for them, which we wouldnt have been able to do otherwise.

Recently, the local team have been working with Harris again as he approaches the transition from primary into secondary school.

They have been working with the local team of Educational Psychologists, social care and teachers to make sure Harris can have a successful transition to secondary school with the support he needs just like all his new friends in the rugby team!

Without the team at ENABLE Scotland, Harris wouldnt have had the support he needed and neither would I. There are thousands of parents like me all across Scotland too many.

We know that parents of disabled children are more than twice as likely to develop mental health issues than other parents, and one in four of those households are living in poverty, trying to make ends meet every day.

Their children are less likely to attend school or take part in local groups and clubs because of their differences, just like Harris, and are more likely develop their own mental health issues as a result.

ENABLE Scotland is trying to change this. They want to be there for every family, in every community all across the country.

Without the support of donors like you, this will not happen. Without the support of donors like you, ENABLE Scotland would not have been able to offer one to one support for families like mine to access their human rights, deliver life-changing plans for their children's future and establish a national network of families.

Please support ENABLE Scotland today and help unlock childhood for children with learning disabilities.

Your money will help ENABLE Scotland continue helping families like mine access their rights and get the support they need.

Your donation will help expand their support to many more families across Scotland.

There are details below on how you can donate to ENABLE Scotland today and make a real difference to the lives of disabled children and young people.

With best wishes to you and your family,

Yvonne

You can watch a video on the appeal and hear more from Yvonne and Harris here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZUbuV5ow-Q