Nottinghamshire organisation tells disabled people to ‘live life your way’

DiPSU is a organisation that helps people with disabilities sort their funding and pay for carers independently.

Paul Co-head, operations manager at the centre, said: “Basically when people are disabled and need care they have a choice of how they do it.

“Firstly care will be provided for them and a socialworker would arrange their care and where they would be going in the day.

“The second option is to be paid money by the government and then they can make care arrangements themselves which gives them more freedom.”

DiPSU was founded in 2003 at the same time as the Government brought in laws to support people on direct payments.

Mr Co-head added: “Some people do choose to make their own care arrangements and this is where we can help support them.

“Our slogan is My Life, My Way, and we want to help people with disabilities live as independently as possible.”

DiPSU can signpost users in the right direction to services they need for free or offer help and advice with payments which incurs a charge.

It is a not-for-profit organisation and has supported more than 1,000 people to live independently who in turn have employed more than 3,000 personal assistants (carers).

Mr Co-head continued: “The freedom that people with disabilities now have is wonderful. They can carry out their own health and safety risk assessments to go places which never used to be possible.

“They can go to Alton Towers or even do a bungee jump if they wish, it’s not often that we hear of cases being turned down.”

DiPSU said it helps more disabled people get involved in society with its help and expertise.

It covers solely Nottingham and Nottinghamshire so it can focus on helping people in the immediate area.

Mr Co-head, who has worked for DiPSU since 2006, said: “We are helping to break down social stigma.

“DiPSU currently employs 15 people with disabilities.

“We open up doors for people and that is what we pride ourselves on doing.”

DiPSU said it wants to change the face of care and try and get more people to take it up as a profession. The organisation offers staff training to help people to do this and tackle how care workers are perceived.