I Open My Own Front Door, Do You?
What’s it about?
Wonderful Tim Keilty from New Prospects said,
‘I think this stuff is probably the most important stuff we do ….it’s the basics that we’ve forgotten over the years …. When we talk about all the different models and this and that and what’s the difference between supported living and blah-de-blah-de-blah ....the difference between all of it is we forget whose house it is, whose support it is, whose life it is.’
I Open My Own Front Door - Do You? is all about how we make sure that we ALL remember whose home it is, whose support it is as whose life it is
What does a front door mean?
Watch the videos too hear from people at Learning Disability England share their take on why the I Open My Own Front Door - Do You? Campaign is so important.
‘I think this stuff is probably the most important stuff we do ….it’s the basics that we’ve forgotten over the years …we forget whose house it is, whose support it is, whose life it is.’
‘Setting the tone from the outset in terms of enabling people to recognise it IS their house and it is THEIR front door, and they choose who they let in. It’s the starting point to developing really brilliant support in every other aspect of their lives.’
‘I think having my own front door and all of the rights and the laws that go with that, I think are absolutely paramount and we should fight hard to keep them.’
‘I think everybody should have the right to open their own front door.’
#IOpenMyOwnFrontDoor
Find out all the ways you can get involved
We want the I Open My Own Front Door - Do You? campaign to really get people thinking and (most importantly) taking action. There will be lots going on during the week, so it would be great if you could join in.
You can post what you are doing on social media using #IOpenMyOwnFrontDoor and tagging Gloriously Ordinary Lives and Learning Disability England, and also send us things directly that we will collect on the I Open My Own Front Door - Do You? page of the Gloriously Ordinary Lives website. Please let us know if you want to share your name or stay anonymous – either is fine.
Here are some of the things you can do to be part of the campaign:
Make a video or take a picture of you opening your front door and tell us what it means to you.
We think that opening your own front door is important – tell us why you think it is. Record a short video or audio or write a few words. Take a photo of your front door if you’d like to!
Share the story of your first front door of your own, where you really did get to control who opened it and who came in, and what it meant to you.
Daft (and awful) excuses – share the best excuse you’ve heard for why someone doesn’t open their own front door, or why someone has said they can’t.
Ask people you know if they open their own front door – if not, why not? (Then let us know!)
Tell us about a time when you haven’t been able to open your own front door and how it felt.
Share a nice chat you had at your front door with someone who isn’t a friend or part of your family, and who you weren’t ever going to invite in (postie, Amazon delivery person, someone selling double glazing).
AND… this is probably the most important one:
If you are in a position where you might have some influence over whether or not people get to open their own front door, tell us what you are doing to make sure they can.
What does a front door mean to you?
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‘Flat 2 Ciaran’s house. Two front doors - upstairs and downstairs. Check the camera see who’s there. Up the stairs, do come in. Lock the door keep safe.’
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‘Yes, I open my own front door. My door gives me choice to allow or not allow the world in. It’s my barrier, that makes me feel protected and safe.’
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‘Having my own front door means I can invite the people I want in to my own space and close the door when I don’t want to be with people!’
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‘I think this stuff is probably the most important stuff we do ….it’s the basics that we’ve forgotten over the years …. When we talk about all the different models and this and that and what’s the difference between supported living and blah-de-blah-de-blah ....the difference between all of it is we forget whose house it is, whose support it is, whose life it is’
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‘When I think about ‘having my own front door’, it brings up feelings of ownership, responsibility, and a real sense of achievement. It's about having a space where I can be my whole self, make my own decisions, and feel safe and secure. It symbolises freedom and stability—my own little piece of the world. It’s a place where I can share moments with loved ones and create new memories along the way.’
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‘I worked with a lady about 15 years ago, sadly she’s no longer with us…we did a workshop session I forget the topic…but what I do remember is that it ignited a fire in her! She went home that day …went into the office and printed out some signs for her front door “Knock!!! Before entering!!” They stayed on her door for years and they always made me smile when I saw them.’
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‘A front door feels welcoming. Everyone's front door is different. The colour, the type of doormat, the handle. You know you are home when you see your front door, and once inside you are in your own home where you feel at ease.’
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‘A lady I am supporting as an advocate is currently in a local care home. She is desperate to go home and the one thing she says to everyone who takes the time to listen is that “I just want to be able to open my own front door.”’
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‘For me it’s the threshold of private and public. Save those I share it with, nobody crosses the threshold without our invitation. If we did not have control over it, we would lose not just our privacy but in turn our ability to be (and become) our full selves. And crucially, we could not be or feel safe.’
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‘I love that I can open my door by pressing a button so I can go in and out with my dog without assistance.’
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‘A sense of relief, a sense of well-being, a sense of comfort, a sense of my normal. I’m home!’
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‘Front door for me means home. The choice to open it to welcome people in or close it when I need solitude and protection for me and my family!’
Excuses
‘People will just let anyone in’
‘People don’t know how to - they didn’t do it when they lived at home with Mum and Dad so they never learned.’
‘Staff have a responsibility to keep people safe.’
‘People are busy, they don’t have time to answer their own front door.’
‘Staff need to come and go as part of their jobs they can’t be knocking on people’s doors every time.’
‘We run a residential home so it’s different for us.’
‘He doesn’t want to.’
Join the campaign!
You can post what you are doing on social media using #IOpenMyOwnFrontDoor and tagging Gloriously Ordinary Lives and Learning Disability England - or send us something directly!
Take a photo, record a video, share a story - we will add them to the collection below.
Please let us know if you want to share your name or stay anonymous – either is fine.
‘My front door is my switch off button after a day of work. It brings me comfort, knowing my family will be inside - regardless of however chaotic it might be when I enter. It represents the entrance to the home we have built together.’ - Richard Smith
- Thomas Sharrock
‘I once had an argument with my “support worker” because a repair worker just walked into the house talking on his phone and was really aggressive with me because I asked what he thought he was doing. Apparently it was completely acceptable because someone else from the house invited him in. I was very upset about it.’
‘What does my front door mean to me? Well, as a door it's pretty ugly - non-descript white PVC, nothing fancy. But when I open it from the inside, it either means I'm stepping out to go somewhere, do something, or I'm welcoming family, friends, cats, parcels in. And when I open it from the outside, it means I'm home - and I can close it again behind me and shut out the world. So I guess my front door represents purpose, possibility, connection, belonging, safety and control. All the stuff that matters most. Maybe it's not so ugly after all!’ - Bryony Shannon
- Rosina Smith
‘I visited a gentleman last week in an extra care home to do an assessment. A carer just walked straight in, so I said “oh you scared me, I will have to get my hearing checked I didn't hear you knocking" to which she just stared but when she came back with another carer they did knock (loudly) to which the gent then shouted "come in"‘
‘My story is about a time I opened my own front door to a supermarket delivery driver and it ended up rather unusually becoming a significant relationship which we have now been in for 3 years, all starting with a very human conversation about music and all down to covid lockdowns and having to use supermarket deliveries!’
‘This is me holding the keys to my own flat after moving back with my parents "temporarily" when I finished university. 6 years, lots of saving, a Covid pandemic and lots of waiting (for the development to be built) I finally moved in and have lived here happily for 2 years so far! It's great to be able to open (and close) my own front door!’ - Faye
‘I am definitely in control of who comes into my home. I always make sure I am. I know who's coming and when.’
‘My front door is my responsibility, something I can control to keep me safe and protected from the outside world. Every time I open my door; it is my decision to do so and I have a sense of comfort in knowing that. My front door is a welcome into my home, where I hold all my belongings and where I rest. My front door means comfort, it signals the end of the day and its where I can enjoy my space and the company of my friends and family.’ - Amber Raynes