Building confidence one journey at a time

Previous traumatic experiences and anxiety about travelling had made it difficult for Mei to leave home and take part in her community.

Mei is a young adult with learning disabilities, autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and a visual impairment. She lived with her parents and had clear aspirations for her future, but travelling to new places often felt overwhelming.

Starting with Mei’s strengths and aspirations

Horizon Care worked with Mei and her family to understand what mattered most to her. Together, they created a personalised plan focused on increasing her independence, exploring her interests and helping her build relationships outside the family home.

The plan did not begin with what Mei could not do. It began with what she enjoyed, what she wanted to achieve and the support that would help her feel safe enough to try.

Making travel feel safer

The team worked with Mei to understand what made journeys difficult and co-produced simple strategies that gave her more predictability and control:

• Choosing routes that avoided motorways
• Creating playlists of her favourite music
• Planning comfort breaks in advance
• Talking through journeys before setting off
• Introducing new places at a pace that felt right for her

These small changes helped turn travel from a barrier into something Mei could manage more confidently.

Discovering new places and possibilities

With personalised, trauma-informed support, Mei began attending IT classes, a social club, college, a city farm and a sensory activity space.

These experiences gave her opportunities to meet people with shared interests, form friendships and become more involved in her community.

Mei also started developing practical independent living skills, including budgeting, shopping and cooking. Each step brought her closer to her longer-term aspiration of living more independently.

Mei’s progress was not about rushing towards a predetermined destination. It was about recognising her strengths, listening to what made her feel safe and helping her discover what she could achieve.

What began with one carefully planned journey has grown into new skills, relationships and possibilities for the future.

Mei’s name and some identifying details have been changed to protect her privacy.

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