What to do when your child has a learning disability?

 Friends and family of those living with learning disabilities can also enjoy using the Happiness Programme to connect with their loved ones. To introduce them to interactive lights, we’ve set out some easy and accessible ways to introduce the interactive light projector to them. 

Getting started

• Try setting up the projector with the Leaves game. It’s one of the easier and more accessible games to start with to introduce new people to the magic table 360.
• Families can work closely with staff to develop more ways to give person-centred care to their relatives. For example, friends and family can provide important details about a loved one’s likes and dislikes. They can give insight into the resident’s hobbies, interests and favourite activities. This all enables staff to personalise the magic table 360 experience. 
• Families can contribute to the Happiness Tracker logbook (download the template here) for their relatives. This allows them to document the responses that their relatives experience with each game to help with this process. Family members may also like to read about what other sessions their loved one has enjoyed with staff. 
• Children and young people may also enjoy the games. They might benefit from having a shared experience with their relatives if it is possible for them to visit. 

Ideas for introducing regular sessions with community groups

This might include groups such as nurseries and schools or college volunteers.  

• Are you planning to have any community groups, nurseries, schools or college volunteers come to visit? Why not run a magic table 360 session with them! Intergenerational play and wider community engagement has many benefits and it guaranteed to spark moments of happiness for everyone involved. 
• Make sure you have your magic table 360 set up and displaying a game before your visitors arrive. This will help to grab their attention and curiosity straight away. Some great games to get started on are: Leaves, Fish, Bubbles or Balloon Pop. 
• Remember some of your visitors may not have any experience with dementia or learning disabilities. Make sure that you give them a brief introduction of what to expect to make the visitors feel welcome and comfortable.  
• If you currently have no community visits or volunteers, we’re happy to search on your behalf as part of our intergenerational/volunteer programme. This is all included in your Happiness Programme subscription. Get in touch with the team who will be able to guide you with any further steps.

Launch party

An alternative way to introduce family and friends to the magic table 360 is to plan a launch party. This allows you to invite the family and friends of all your residents and introduce them to the technology in a fun and relaxed setting. You could  invite members of the wider community too! This can be used as an opportunity to promote the activity to family and friends. It is also a great way to ask for volunteers or contacts who might be able to facilitate later sessions. 

• The team at Social-Ability can help with flyers and posters to advertise your event. This is a great way to introduce your wider community to the technology for the first time.
• For community events and showcases, choose a room with appropriate lighting and space to give the best view of the projector. You can also move the magic table 360 between spaces. For example, to host a smaller training session in another room or to a bigger space for a group session.
• Make sure to have plenty of props on hand for participants to experiment with, such as foam noodles, feather dusters, paint brushes and soft balls.
• Choose your background music- something relaxing or something more up-lifting.  It’s easiest to use something voice-activated such as an Alexa speaker. Matching the songs to the theme of the game can be a great way to add some extra fun!