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Home > News and stories > Families raising disabled young adults encouraged to seek support as Your Opportunity grant programme reopens

Families raising disabled young adults encouraged to seek support as Your Opportunity grant programme reopens

Families raising disabled or seriously ill young person can support their child's independence and ambitions by applying for grant items.

A teenage boy sitting in a comfy armchair

Parents and carers can now apply to the Family Fund Your Opportunity UK-wide grant programme, which aims to enhance the life of disabled, or seriously ill, young adults, aged 18 to 24 years old, who are living at home.  

Recent research by Family Fund found that half of parents and carers experience a sharp drop in available support as their child gets older. Despite this, 59% said they had to buy specialist toys and play equipment for their child and 20% had to pay for home adaptations like stair lifts or heating systems. Additionally, 17% purchased special equipment like wheelchairs or specialist car seats.

Parents and carers eligible for support can apply for grant items for their young person including:

  • Computers or tablets to support further education, online hobbies and the overall building of independence
  • transport costs for bus fares for appointments, or to support independent travel to clubs or hobbies
  • white goods to help with independence, or help make mealtimes easier for carers
  • help with the cost of buying a provisional driving licence, and other learning materials to support driving ambitions;
  • sports, or lightweight, wheelchairs to enable participation in sport activities, or access to activities that would not be possible with a day-to-day wheelchair.

You can find further information on our website, including the full list of items available and the eligibility criteria.

Cheryl Ward, Family Fund’s Chief Executive Officer, said:

“Half of families report a fall in disability support benefits from child to adulthood, leaving them on a financial cliff-edge as young people reach 18.

“Your Opportunity grants are here to help support young disabled people across the UK to lead fulfilling lives and realise ambitions. We strongly urge families that are struggling with costs to apply to us for a grant as soon as possible, which could help improve their quality of life.”

Apply for a grant now

Struggling with your application? We can help. Contact us via webchat on our Contact page, or on 01904 550055 (9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday).

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