Page 27 - OCF Oxfordshire Uncovered

Loneliness and isolation
Mental illness affects one in four of us in our lifetime
Many types of disability are hidden or not immediately obvious. This means that it can be more challenging for people affected by these disabilities to get help. For example, mental health is an under-funded and under-supported area:
• One in ve people receiving bene ts in Oxfordshire are on bene ts for a reason directly related to their mental health.
• In Oxford city, 54% of people on incapacity bene t/severe
disability allowance have mental health problems.
• Less than 25% of disabled people with mental health
problems are in employment.
People with learning disabilities do not receive the same standard of healthcare as everyone else. According to Oxfordshire disability advocacy charity My Life My Choice, they are 58 times more likely to die before the age of 50, and four times more likely to have a preventable cause of death.
Apart from those with the most severe disabilities, the
majority of the disabled population seek a greater degree of independence and want to feel they are contributing members of the community. Pioneering community groups working to reduce marginalisation and increase the integration of disabled people in Oxfordshire are looking to become increasingly self- sustaining – but they need our support in order to achieve this. This is likely to involve signi cant, bold infrastructure funding, as well as cross-community collaboration.
COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS
FarmAbility
FarmAbility runs a day service for adults with autism and learning disabilities, based on a working livestock farm in Wytham. Participants are trained as co-farmers, learning to take part in purposeful activities such as egg collecting and grading, growing vegetables, caring for farm animals and carrying out seasonal farm tasks.
Co-farmers can undertake accredited courses, traineeships and apprenticeships, building con dence and equipping them for a more independent future.
OCF has supported the charity with several funding opportunities over the past few years – in particular a large infrastructure grant from our Step Change Fund that is helping them scale up their operation to reach more bene ciaries.
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