As part of this year’s Learning Disability Week, we’re celebrating the voices and stories of people with learning disabilities. Today, we’re pleased to introduce you to Chloe, who works at Cromwell Road Day Centre.

My name is Chloe, and I would like to tell you a bit about myself. I am 33 years old. I have autism and dyspraxia, which affects my muscles and joints, I can struggle to hold a lot of things. My autism makes it difficult for me to understand other people and process information.

I work at Cromwell Road Resource Centre in the admin team and on reception. I have been at Cromwell Road Resource Centre since February 2022, when I moved from Queen Street to here. It was a big change for me, as I had been at Queen Street for about 7 or 8 years. I didn’t know what to expect when I first started. The staff and managers at Cromwell Road have been so supportive to me in my role, always helpful and polite. It can take me a few weeks to learn fully how to do the job and repetition helps me to learn how to do my job better. I do photocopying, checking the stock, typing, shredding and laminating.

In my free time I like to go out to eat with my friends, gardening at home and at Rock Foundation. I go to my parents every weekend to watch a film/tv programme and have snacks. I go to Foresight and do cooking and money management. I like to do swimming. I go to Club 22 and I do bingo, craft, board games, bowling, going out for meals and on day trips.

I lived in a shared house and Mencap support me. I enjoy it there and I have been there for 10 years.

This is the real me. When you see someone like me in the community ask yourself “do you see me”?