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It doesn’t stop there. Dennis wants more. “After that he also wanted to get his driving license. He took lessons from a driving school owner with a simulator, but shifting gears turned out to be too complicated. Then he came to the conclusion that this wasn’t going to happen, but he really wants it. He also wants to live as normal a life as possible. Although he sometimes takes advantage of the fact that he can’t do things when he doesn’t feel like it. Then he says: ‘I can’t do that’.”
Brother
Dennis is now 35 years old and he sees around him what other people over thirty are doing. “That’s what makes it so difficult.” He cannot keep up with everything, both mentally and physically. Yet he is quite independent. For example, he lives on his own in an apartment under supervision, works as a volunteer in the car wash and even goes to the disco. This is partly because his brother Jeffrey has his own club, Club Limbo, and Dennis has also been going there since the beginning. “Everyone knew him there and they all kept an eye on things. He enjoyed that so much.
When Jeffrey opened the club, we were proud. We all thought it was so nice and clever of him. Until Dennis said: ‘Jeffrey can make his dream come true, I will never be able to do that.’ That was such a slap in the face.”
Dennis with his brother Jeffrey. Text continues under the photo.
The family does everything they can to ensure that Dennis really belongs. It is his brother in particular who involves him in everything. From the renovation to the opening and the evenings in the club. “They have such a warm bond. They see each other every week. Every now and then Dennis is even allowed to work behind the bar. He really makes sure that his brother fits in completely. I am very grateful for that.”
Club Unlimited
“Then I thought: shouldn’t this also be possible for other young people with disabilities? Only most of them don’t have a brother with their own club they can go to. Heidy has been thinking about this idea for a while, until by chance someone approaches her son Jeffrey with the same idea. “My son said, ‘You guys need to talk to each other.’” And so the idea for Club Unlimited was born.
Together with two other women, Roos Hatt and Daphne Oortwijn, they open the club every month for about a hundred young people with disabilities. “Of course it has been adapted a bit to our visitors. For example, the club is open from 7 to 9:30 p.m., we don’t serve alcohol, but we do serve 0.0% beer, because they think that’s cool, and visitors use pictograms to indicate what they want to drink.
Heidy (in the middle) together with the two other founders: Roos and Daphne. Text continues under the photo.
“With us, people don’t have to come in. Within five minutes everyone is on the dance floor and they are soon doing the polonaise. It’s all so friendly. There are only happy people. Dennis thinks it’s fantastic. And he is also somewhat of the figurehead of the club.”
Wheelchair visitors
On October 21, 2023, Club Unlimited can even be found at the Oktoberfest in Emmen. They have a tent there and this time they are also accessible to people in wheelchairs: “Unfortunately, our club on the first floor is not accessible to wheelchairs. We think that is such a shame. Because they would like to come. Fortunately, we can receive them during Oktoberfest.”
Heidy still has one wish for Dennis: “That he finds a nice girlfriend. Unfortunately, that hasn’t worked out yet, but he might meet her one day through Club Unlimited. That would be so nice.”
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2023-09-23 12:05:35
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