Cérge

Last week, one of our support workers and participants used the Cérge app for the first time! Entering in access needs and support information needed to support Carol was quick and easy. Upon arriving they were greeted and a water wheelchair was waiting at the accessible change rooms.Carol is vision impaired and has a physical disability. Carol looks forward to her weekly outing at TRAC but at times her needs are not met with limited access to the bathroom and often Carol needs to wait for the shower commode chair.Through using the Cérge app, Carol was treated as an individual that relies on support to access the community and on arrival everything was ready to go! Thank you Cérge and TRAC for helping our community to achieve its health goals!Support Your Way recommends checking out the Cérge app & TRAC! Join the Cérge Community and find out more!

Being mobility challenged, travelling can be daunting. As I am on bilateral crutches, I was also concerned about needing to wait for extended periods lining up, as this is difficult for me.

Travelling with children adds an extra layer of challenge to the mix. While many people can just arrive at the airport & ‘go with the flow’, it takes planning & organisation when I travel, which can be stressful. 

Recently I had arranged to fly to Sydney for a holiday with my three children. I was somewhat apprehensive due to needing to navigate through the airport with the children & manage all our luggage.

However, prior to travelling I had visited the Cérge website wherein I found a huge amount of information about the Sunshine Coast Airport. I was able to view a floor plan of the airport, & even do a virtual walk through with a 360 degree virtual tour.

On the day of travel, I used the Cérge app to notify Sunshine Coast Airport of the time that I would be arriving & check in on arrival. The app itself also had extensive information about the airport & what to expect, including a comprehensive sensory guide.

Once the children & I arrived at the entrance to the baggage check-in, Jordan was waiting to greet us & guide us through to the Qantas check-in area. We were guided through a priority lane, which meant we didn’t have to line up. This in itself was a huge relief for me as prolonged standing is difficult.

At check-in, Jordan remained with us until all bags were tagged & checked through & we had received our boarding passes. We also discussed the possibility of assistance for boarding the flight & a lift was arranged for the time of boarding.

Jordan then walked us through to the security check. He assisted us to run all items through the security screen, & there was a chair for me to sit on for the purposes of screening.

After we had gone through security, Jordan showed us to our gate, provided me with a telephone number in case I needed anything prior to boarding, & was helpful, friendly & knowledgeable. We were then collected by Qantas staff & assisted to board the plane using the lift.

At no time throughout our whole time at the airport did I feel a burden to anyone, & I didn’t have to spend time trying to organise assistance or work out a way to navigate difficult areas. The stress was removed, such that by the time I sat in my seat on the plane I was relaxed & ready for our holiday, not stressed & exhausted from navigating our way through check-in, security & boarding.

What a wonderful service Cérge & the Sunshine Coast Airport offer. I have no doubt that Sunshine Coast Airport’s initiative to embrace inclusion & accessibility will make a huge difference to many.

You know those times when you think you have it all under control as a mum and then your kids yell “plot twist!"
That’s exactly what happened for me on Sunday when visiting Nambour Aquatic Centre.
I was prepared, I have two ASD kids so we have used the Cérge app before and it’s fantastic. I have one child who has big emotions and doesn’t like too much stimulation and one who runs
off….. a lot.
Going out gives me anxiety. Huge anxiety. Because not only do I have to manage the “mum load” of making sure they are fed and watered and happy. I also have to account for any change, any situation and pre empt as much as I humanly can.
It’s hard. Very hard.
I showed both children the Visual Story, Photos and Sensory Guide, so we were all prepared with how everything looks and feels. I notified through the Cérge app and let the staff know when we would be arriving and that I have a child that runs and a child that may need space.
We were rocking.
Swimmers, towels, snacks and Cérge and we are set! I actually felt ahead of the game for once.  We arrive at the pool and check in seamlessly, the staff are amazing, helpful, inclusive and friendly. We are excited!  We head for our swim. Well, whatever could go wrong for me did.
One child ran, the other was over stimulated and the emotions were at an all time high. I want eyes on my son near a pool at all moments and I couldn’t find him. Panic mode.
Now, I’m not going to lie and say this never happens. It does. A large part of my life is trying to be the best mum I can possibly be and meet my children’s needs. But sometimes that can’t be met by one person.
We have left places feeling humiliated, shamed, unwelcome and upset and none of these feelings are any I want my children to feel. Today was different though, the staff knew who I was and our needs through Cérge they were able to assist calmly, navigate what we needed quickly and quietly and lead with pure
professionalism. What I noticed was because the staff were exceptional and inclusive the patrons followed suit.
Never, ever, have I experienced this before. They offered a quiet room for my daughter and the facility has a latched gate at the entrance which has supervision also so I knew my son was safer. They loved the slides and my son probably went down a thousand times! Lucky they don’t charge per ride! Wow.
In the past we would leave with hysterical kids and I would cry in the car wondering if I will ever leave the house again. Not today though, today I had a team, today I was part of a village. I was a person trying to get through something hard with extra help and support. Today I didn’t feel like a loser being judged as a failure. That’s a first.  Nambour Aquatic Centre, you are amazing. Thank you.
……..And of course thank you Cérge.
Life changing! Literally

I have PTSD and Anxiety and for this reason I have an Assistance Dog named Hunter. Hunter helps minimise my anxiety and work with me to lower my PTSD triggers. When you have PTSD it can be misunderstood, come on suddenly and can feel terrifying in the middle of it all. I tend to stay”safe” to minimise the worst happening.New experiences can be very difficult for me and Hunter will have to work quite hard. If the event gets more challenging it can be quite stressful.I read some amazing stories about Cérge and saw the Adelaide Hill Recreation Centre just adopted Cérge. This is exciting and kind of scary to be honest. I want so badly to get into a yoga class or body balance not only for my physical body but for my mind. The idea of going to recreation centre I’ve never been to is terrifying. They are usually big and loud and everyone seems to know what to do but me. I never know if I’m in the right place the right clothes and there are always too many mirrors.Before I decided to attend Adelaide Hills Recreation I looked on the Cérge website and went through their Visual story. I was able to see each room, the equipment, entrances and toilets. I also read through the noises that may be heard, I need this for myself but also for Hunter. Along with smells, for obvious reasons. This relieved so so much anxiety. Just knowing what I would see and what the venue looked like reduce my anxiety and made me enthusiastic to visit.When I arrived I was greeted so openly and warmly by Nathan. I had already sent a notification so I knew, they knew I was coming and that was great. I didn’t have to feel awkward and on edge about Hunter which triggers anxiety which makes Hunter work harder which gives anxiety and around and around we go.I had a look around the facilities and I have picked the 8am Yoga class and I am excited for this to begin in my life! I am so pumped! It’s been a while since I felt like this was achievable for me!I would love to see Cérge in places like all small businesses, shopping centres and hospitals this would help me reintegrate into society so much easier.

Heidi greeted me with a huge wave as I arrived and I felt a sigh of relief leave my body. It was like I was running into an old friend.  She smiled and grabbed the medications I required.She faced me whilst talking which was my request so that I could lip read. She asked me to teach her some signs and I did, even though I’m a bit rusty myself hehe! Not everyone signs and not everyone lip reads either. I was so scared, I felt a bit raw and vulnerable walking in. I didn’t want a fuss or to feel like a bother like I have so many times before. It was a lot of trust to put into the Cérge app and I wasn’t sure it would truly help. I have to say though I am very surprised. I left Amcal Wilsonton feeling like my friend had just served me and honestly, truly cared. What a difference. It’s one of those things, I didn’t know how much I missed feeling “normal”, how much I craved just feeling like a regular customer who is heard and seen. Thank you Cérge, thank you Amcal Wilsonton, I’m telling all my friends! Incredible.

We are teaming up with a new initiative, Cèrge. Cèrge is a communication platform created to help people with disability connect with local businesses in their community. It allows organisations to provide personalised services to customers with disability with the aim of reducing the fear, anxiety and discrimination individuals with disability go through as customers. Through the Cèrge app, the customer can notify participating businesses that they will be arriving, giving staff awareness of what the customer may need while in the store.Today our customer visited the Swan Hill Leisure Centre to have a shot of basketball with his support worker. He was able to communicate through the app notifying the leisure centre of when he would be arriving and what he was planning on doing while there. Upon arrival he was met by staff who greeted him by name creating a welcoming experience for our customer. This helped our customer feel very comfortable and he went on to enjoy a shot of basketball while there! Swan Hill Leisure Centre Cérge Cérge Community