CROGGI CIC - ACCESSIBLE LIVING

CROGGI Accessible Living

Accessible Living & Independent Living

CROGGI is currently exploring how better design, practical support and community-based innovation can improve independent living for people experiencing significant disabilities and mobility or sensory difficulties. Through our existing community involvement, we are currently volunteering our time to support a member of the community whose vision has been severely affected, assisting with practical personal-assistant tasks and domestic duties alongside the support already provided by council services. This experience has highlighted how many everyday challenges remain within the home, and how much more could potentially be done to make life safer, easier and more independent.

We are also supporting another person experiencing significant mobility difficulties, assisting with personal-assistant and domestic tasks. Again, our experience has shown that there is considerable scope to improve how a person can live safely, comfortably and independently within their own home. Independent living is not simply about providing care; it is also about designing the environment, routines and practical solutions around the individual.

CROGGI wants to explore, assess and develop this further — identifying existing solutions, researching new ideas, designing practical improvements and, where appropriate, helping to implement and test them. What works for one person may also provide useful learning for others facing similar challenges. We believe there is considerable potential for better, more person-centred support that improves quality of life while enabling people to retain as much independence and control as possible.

We will develop and test practical, personalised solutions to help people experiencing significant mobility or sensory difficulties live more safely and independently in their own homes.

Through our existing community involvement, CROGGI is already assisting people experiencing severe mobility and sight-related difficulties. We have identified an urgent need for practical support that goes beyond standard, one-size-fits-all adaptations. We want to work directly with people to understand the barriers they face, then design, develop and install affordable solutions around their individual needs.

The project will initially work with a small number of people already identified through our community work. Solutions may include safer movement around the home, improved lighting and navigation, tactile and high-contrast features, adapted controls, accessible communication, improved storage and other practical environmental changes.

The project will run for approximately 12 months. Participants will be involved throughout the process, helping us understand what works and what needs changing. We will measure practical improvements such as safer movement, increased ability to complete everyday activities and reduced reliance on others for selected tasks.

We will share the project and its learning through CROGGI's website, social media and community networks, while protecting participants' privacy.

This is a new CROGGI pilot based on needs we have already encountered through our community work. We will document the problems identified, solutions developed, costs and outcomes, creating a practical model that can be improved and potentially used to support other disabled people in the future.

Lifeline Responder — East Riding of Yorkshire Council

Three years' experience

I worked as a Lifeline Responder for East Riding of Yorkshire Council for three years, supporting older people and vulnerable residents in their own homes. The role involved responding to emergency calls, assessing situations, providing practical assistance and arranging further help when required.

Through on-the-job training and practical experience, I developed skills across several areas:

A. First Aid and Emergency Response — Initial injury assessment, responding to falls and recognising when further medical assistance was needed.
B. Moving, Handling and Personal Safety — Practical experience with assisted lifting, specialist lifting equipment, safe moving and handling, and lone-working awareness.
C. Safeguarding and Vulnerable Adults — Recognising vulnerability, respecting personal dignity and maintaining confidentiality.
D. Health, Safety and Wellbeing — Risk awareness, safe working practices and incident procedures.
E. Communication and Professional Practice — Communicating with residents, relatives and emergency services, problem-solving and responding calmly in challenging situations.
F. Care Awareness and Independence — Understanding the needs of older people and vulnerable residents, providing reassurance and helping people maintain their independence at home.

This three-year role gave me valuable hands-on experience in community care, emergency response and supporting people in vulnerable circumstances. These skills continue to inform my work with CROGGI CIC, particularly in community inclusion, wellbeing and helping people access opportunities and support.