Mr. Paul Alford:

The thing about moving out is that I was not happy in the institutions. For example, if they found an unclean glass in the institutions, they would ring my job and tell me it was my job to clean it. Then if the bin was smelly, they would ring my job and tell me I had to clean that. If I did something, they would say I did not do it right. We used to have arguments in the institutions a lot. A person used to come and kick and bang my door sometimes and the staff did nothing about it. They just told us to get on together, that this person had bad health and I had to respect that. They did not do anything for us. It might stop for about six months and then it would start again.

I was not happy there. When I told families and staff they said I would not be able to live outside and that if I wanted to go outside, I would have to go back to Aylmer Road in Newcastle, where they could give me a place to rent. They told me that another option was to go to Saggart and live with someone I knew but had never lived with, which meant I would not know what they would be like. The other option they gave me was to go out renting and I said I would not be able to do that because it is too expensive. They told me that if I left, I would be doing so of my own accord and that they were only giving me three months in which to come back. I had to fight for half of my life to get out of these institutions and into independent living because I was not happy there. Family and staff did not want me to do all that but it was not their choice; it was my choice to do it at the end of the day. If you do not fight for your rights, you do not get anywhere. You have to fight all of your life but now I do not have to fight because I went and bought my own place. The best thing is having a key to your front door. That is important, as is being able to go in and out any time you like. Then you do not have to tell people where you are and what you are doing.