Jordan Smith is Chair of the Dimensions Council – an advisory group that helps Dimensions, a not-for-profit organisation with 7,000 staff, shape how it supports more than 3,000 people with autism, learning disabilities and other needs. Jordan lives in Colchester and draws on support from Dimensions himself.
“Stop giving me fish – teach me to fish, so I can catch my own.”
Someone reminded me recently that I said that once. I didn’t even remember at first – but I know what I meant. It’s stuck with me because it’s how I see things. If you’re always being given fish, you never get the chance to learn how to fish for yourself. And that’s what good support should be doing – helping people stand on their own feet, not keeping them where they are.
I’ve had support for a good few years now, and I know the difference between someone doing things for me, and someone doing things with me. And that with bit – that’s the bit that matters. That’s where your confidence grows. When people talk about inclusion, sometimes they just mean you’re in the room. That’s not enough. For me, it means being listened to properly – like your opinion actually counts. Not just being there to tick a box.
I’m Chair of the Dimensions Council, and all of us on the Council draw on support ourselves. We don’t just chat about small stuff – we challenge things, ask tough questions, try to make services better. I’m proud of that. We’ve got lived experience – and we know what works and what doesn’t. When I started getting support, I didn’t want someone hovering over me, doing everything. I wanted to get better at doing things myself. That’s what builds independence – not being wrapped in cotton wool, but being encouraged, even when it’s a bit scary.
I love football – always have. But if I’m going to a match, I don’t want someone tagging along just to watch the game for free. I want someone who gets that they’re there to support me to enjoy it – not enjoy it for themselves. It’s a small thing, but it makes a big difference.
I recently interviewed someone who applied to be one of my support workers. He was a tree surgeon – self-employed – and said the work had dried up a bit. He came straight from a job, didn’t dress up for it. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure at first. But every answer he gave – it was real. Honest. Full of his own values. He talked about how hard it is making friends, and how he’d help me find groups or clubs where I might meet people. Not once did he mention the freebies – football, cinema, swimming. He just got it. He understood what the job meant.
I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’m still thinking. Part of me worries what if it doesn’t work out. But sometimes you’ve got to take a bit of a gamble. That’s life. If we want people with lived experience to really shape services, we’ve got to start from the beginning – not bring them in halfway through. That’s how you change the system. And we need services that welcome people properly – not just let them in, but make them feel like they belong.
That’s what the More Than a Provider group is about. It’s six not-for-profit organisations – including Dimensions – working together to call for change in social care. People like me, and people who provide support, coming together to say: this can be better. Support isn’t about doing everything for someone – it’s about helping them grow so they don’t need as much support in the first place. That’s what I mean when I say teach me to fish. When you put people with lived experience at the centre, that’s when things start to change – for real.
