Leonard Cheshire Disability is the UK’s leading charity supporting people with disability. Leonard Cheshire Disability has grown to have over 200 services throughout the UK over 65 years. We support over 21,000 disabled people in the UK, providing innovative services that give disabled people the opportunity to live a life without barriers. We believe that disabled people should have the freedom to live their lives the way they choose - with the opportunity and support to live independently, to contribute economically, and to participate fully in society. The needs and aspirations of disabled people are at the heart of what we do. Our members of staff provide the necessary care and assistance to enable residents to live as independent and full a life as possible. However, it is the volunteer who can give extra time and attention to the residents, encouraging and supporting disabled people to access local facilities and fulfilling personal goals. Through volunteering, we are able to offer more support to residents, and thereby move closer to our organsiational goal.The overall aim of this project is to empower and enable disabled people to access social, leisure and employment activities. This is achieved through the following objectives:1. To introduce new activities to the activities programme2. To support residents with the activities they wish to do inside and outside the care home3. To support residents in fulfilling personal long-term goals4. To support fundraising efforts to raise funds that will support the above mentioned aim5. To raise disability awareness for the volunteers and in the local communityOur volunteers are actively involved in shaping their EVS experiences by developing the activities plan with residents and staff. We encourage volunteers to bring their own ideas, skills and passions to share with residents. As a result, the role is varied depending on their own skills and interests, and the needs of residents and the activities they like to engage in. Activities take place either in the home or in the local areas, and the delivery of activities is heavily influenced by the skills and motivation of our volunteers to design a creative and fun activity programme.All our volunteers also lead a mini-project for the duration of their placement. At one hosting organisation, the volunteers will support residents in using the sensory areas through group activities and one-to-one support. This will allow for the residents to experience their surrounding in a different capacity, simulate senses and give residents new experiences. At the other hosting organisation, the volunteers will lead a gardening project by supporting residents in designing and developing their garden to include areas for growing plants as well as socialising. Leonard Cheshire Disability is a huge supporter of the EVS programme due to the great benefits it presents for our residents, local communities we work with, staff and our volunteers. EVS volunteers have lasting impact on many different aspects of our residents’ lives. Volunteers enable disabled people to be more independent, enjoy a greater choice of activities and form healthy social relationships. Our residents have previously expressed that the EVS volunteers are essential to their social participation and independence, and it would not be possible for the residents to have as active social lives as they do without the volunteers. The project will have a positive impact on the local communities as the volunteers will accompany residents on outings, and thereby make disability more visible and included in the community.The volunteers will gain great insight into disability issues and working in a social care setting. They will develop skills within planning and carrying out activities and projects as well as supporting disabled people in an empowering way. They will learn how to work as part of a team in what can be a challenging environment with many things happening simultaneously. They will also become much better English speakers and gain an understanding of the British culture. The project will also have a positive impact on our staff, and LCD as a whole. It opens a dialogue between people from from different countries about how different societies and cultures work with disabled people and works towards Leonard Cheshire Disability's goal of challenging perceptions of disability.