Aveleijn is an institution for people with intellectual disabilities. Nearly two thousand people work there, dedicated to their clients in eighty locations. Every day again. But despite their involvement and unbridled commitment, everything does not always go well. For example, it can happen that an employee does something that clients do not like without being aware of it. This can be a so-called “blind spot”. A small action that develops into a fixed pattern with the result that more and more distance is created between the wishes of clients and the approach of employees. What starts as a small action ends as something that affects the well-being of clients.
Aveleijn came to us because of our distinctive and creative approach. In collaboration with Anne Gehring – theater maker and mother of a son with Down syndrome – we developed a special day for 200 employees. It was a day full of discovery and reflection. Anne read from a diary that she had kept during her stay with Aveleijn, prior to this day. It was a personal story in which she presented the employees with a loving mirror. But the employees also got to work. They were challenged by challenging interventions and other work forms to view their own functioning through different perspectives.
In total no fewer than 162 blind spots were formulated. From “I stick to rules while this actually hinders the client” to “I fill in too quickly for the other.” Valuable self-insights that gave employees enough starting points to take better care of their clients. And of themselves.