Read Rebekah’s remarkable story on living with an acquired brain injury and how Inclusion Works Belfast assisted with her rehabilitation.

“My name is Rebekah and I am 28 years old.  When I was 24, I had a car accident when I was going to my horse-riding lesson.  The accident left me with an Acquired Brain Injury which affects the left-hand side of my body.  I was in a coma for 4 months in the Royal Victoria Hospital and in January 2017 I was subsequently transferred to the Regional Acquired Brain Injury Unit (RABIU) in Musgrave Park Hospital. While at RABIU I underwent assessment and rehabilitation and was discharged in September 2017.

I came out feeling broken and had no confidence - unsure of who I was, the left side of my body wasn’t working, and I felt angry and frustrated!  I have always had the support of my fiancé and family which has been irreplaceable.

In November 2018, my Occupational Therapist from the Community Brain Injury Team (CBIT) referred me to the Cedar Foundation’s Inclusion Works Service Belfast (IWB). I had previously heard excellent reports about the Cedar Foundation from a good friend whose son had attended there as a service user.

"I started on the IWB Programme in January 2019.  I was introduced to my Case Officer, Helen Savage, who has been especially supportive and attentive to me".  

When I started Cedar, I was unsure what I would like to do. Initially I met with Helen weekly, we discussed my goals and ways to help me build my confidence and stamina. Prior to my accident I was extremely independent and worked full-time.

I started attending ICT classes in Cedar, I found this very beneficial as I am an active blogger on living with a Brain Injury. Joe Cash (IT Tutor) supported me with online social media and exploring assistive technology options. I was also provided with support to try out online courses. This enabled me to explore remote learning options and helped me to refresh my previous learning.

Prior to my accident I had achieved a 1^st Class Honours degree in Communication and Public Relations. Helen set up a work placement with Cedar’s Communications Department.  I thoroughly enjoyed this placement and felt I had taken the first step to looking at work since my accident. I helped with updating Cedar’s Facebook and Twitter page. These opportunities helped to build on my self-confidence, resilience and communication skills.

"Meeting the Cedar team has been a great experience and they have been very supportive, helping me to improve my confidence, especially in exploring my workplace options in the future.”

 

I hope my placement will resume soon again – after Covid-19! In the meantime I will continue to focus on my hobbies (Art and Cooking) and update my daily blog which you can check out at https://rebroken.blog/

We hope so too Rebekah.  

This project is part funded through the Northern Ireland European Social Fund Programme 2014 – 2020 and the Department for the Economy. Funding is also provided by the Department for Communities and all five local HSCTs in Northern Ireland.

Want to know more?

Inclusion Works supports adults with disabilities who are keen to build employability skills and experience to be work ready, then moving into a paid job, college course or volunteering on leaving. Specialist physical disability, ASD and brain injury support is available and tailored to each individual and their needs. Following initial assessments, participants will build an action plan, drawn from a menu of choices to address their personal barriers and agree solutions to meet their employability and inclusion goals. Inclusion Works is person-centred, encouraging and supporting individuals to design their own programmes around their needs and aspirations, building confidence and independence.

If you would like to find out more about Cedar’s Inclusion Works programme please visit our dedicated page. You can also keep up to date with Cedar through Facebook and Twitter.