H became independent, travelling the route to Samuel Laycock, in January 2022.
Although this seems such a long time ago, we wanted to let people know how becoming independent has changed H’s options and opportunities since then!
After leaving school, H enrolled at Tameside College on their Aspirations programme so some more work was done on a ‘re-route’, meaning H was confident getting from home to the college for the start of the academic year. Having travelled independently for six-months, H only needed showing the new route, new bus numbers and new landmarks.
After attending Tameside College, H decided that this learning journey was not really what they wanted to do. Even though they faced hurdles around people’s perceptions of what they would be able to achieve, H was unmoved and last academic year, enrolled on the Level 2 Travel and Tourism course at Oldham College. Although some people said that she wouldn’t be able to keep up with the learning, H is holding their own and is really enjoying what they are studying.
Chatting on the bus down to Ashton, H was saying that they were excited to be taking a group of ESOL students on an organised tour the following week. ‘Showing them the sights of Manchester before going for lunch in the city centre’.
Without the ability to get around independently, H feels they would be ‘stuck doing something I didn’t want to do as I would have to rely on local authority transport’
