Cérge

Today we made a friend with Cérge. Going swimming isn't something we usually do as many venues can’t cater to our needs of a quiet space.  But today we arrived at the venue Ascot Vale Leisure Centre feeling good, my son was slightly nervous but staff were welcoming so that eased his nervousness. We had a great relaxing, quiet swim and then a quick exit as the kids were worked out after their swim and will most definitely be back again!
I can see how the Cérge app will make life easier for so many people and parents /carers.
Knowing the venue knew what we needed and could provide it eased out anxiety so much.
I hope every business adopts Cérge, it would certainly give us more options as a family. By Jo Jo – A Mum

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.

Going into Aquarena, I was a little nervous how it would be perceived me going in to look at the facilities as a support worker trying to see if it was suitable for clients to potentially use. I notified of my intent to come roughly 30 minutes out and received acknowledgement from Aquarena, notified them of my arrival and while waiting while the person who was being served was done, the manager came out to ensure the staff knew to prioritise what was needed by the person who’d sent through from the app. ? The manager walked me around the venue himself showing all of what they have to offer, including some of the best disabled change rooms I’ve seen. On noting their pool chairs wouldn’t be suitable for the client I had in mind, the manager was open to potentially purchasing a suitable pool chair in their future budget that he’s working on, and happy to put practices in place at their cafe and anywhere else necessary to account for if the client was to come in by them-self in their wheelchair or want to complete a transaction them-self where the counters are too high.  Overall, a fantastic experience and a venue I will highly recommend to those looking for a hydrotherapy venue.  This app would be great for a range of people with all sorts of disabilities, especially invisible disabilities and parents. By Frankie – Support Worker

I once loved swimming and going to the pool but it’s been about 7 years since I’ve been back to a pool after my conditions have deteriorated.I felt extremely anxious about what to expect from the staff, the possibility of having to answer multiple personal questions, and the high chance of shutting down (dissociation) due to sensory overload or PTSD triggered. The fact I hadn't been to a public pool with my Assistance Dog (Buddha) in a very long time because of past experiences only added to my high anxiety before arriving.I logged into the app and notified Whitlam Leisure Centre that I was on my way, I typed my “Must know “ info that I can get overstimulated and that I had a Buddha. I explained I like to communicate calmly and not be drilled with questions about me or Buddha.On arrival we were greeted friendly by staff and then given a tour around the centre by Ernest, who answered our questions and showed all the accommodations available to us, such as quiet spaces away from others.For the first time, EVER, there were no questions asked about my disability or my Assistance Dog! Absolutely blew me away! As I said with Cérge, I had let staff know before arriving that I have multiple mental health conditions and would have my Assistance Dog and carer with me, that I struggle interacting with strangers and that I hate being asked personal questions. Knowing they knew this, my fears about what might happen lessened to a manageable level.The impact Cerge has made for me after today is indescribable!We walked out of the centre and were deeply overjoyed that I was able to stay at a public pool without issues and for longer than expected! I felt like, for the first time, I could happily enjoy a swim without being disturbed or people trying to interact with my Assistance Dog while I was in the water.I am relieved, happy and empowered

I thought my love for basketball was gone forever, I thought we had our time & now we were over for good. I haven’t played basketball for 6 years, it’s like losing so much of my identity, a part of myself.I’m a huge fan of sport but I have anxiety & depression, I like to live alone and I like quiet places. Quiet places & sport don’t always go together that well, so for the past few years anxiety wins & I haven’t been able to immerse myself in sport like in the past.I know playing again would help. I just can’t get to the point of where it can help me because my barriers aren’t in playing the sport. My barriers are leaving the house.Whenever I have to go somewhere, my mind pretends like I am already there & starts having different conversations.So many voices & thoughts all telling me different scenarios & that makes it hard for me to concentrate. When I reach the place where I know it will be busy my heart starts beating fast, I feel alot of anxiety & discomfort & my brain get frozen.All I can think of is bad situations. Bad outcomes. Bad scenarios. It’s exhausting.I am scared people are going to make fun of me & won’t talk to me & it loops around & around. When I go in there & I am not comfortable I start feeling anxious & uneasy & feel like running away. Fight or flight kicks in & it can really take over my life.I heard about Cérge & at first wasn’t sure it could help me. I didn’t want to make a big deal or draw attention to myself but I noticed Eagle Stadium was on the app & they have basketball. I love ball.It took me a while to work up the courage to go to check it out. I looked at the Visual Story & Sensory Guide & went through all the stuff on the app. I knew if I could prepare my brain for what it would see by looking at all the photos, then when I get there it would be like what I have already seen & it would hack my brain to feel more at ease.The survival tips and processes of anxiety & depression are very real & often very unnoticed.After a few months I finally felt ready. I had all the information and all the visuals. I used the app to let customer service know I was going and used the Cérge chat in the app also for support.Arriving at Eagle Stadium & going to the courts felt like home, I could not look away. The smell of the court, the squeak of the ball. My body remembered & it felt like home. The staff were so welcoming and kind & gave me a timetable and spoke to me about what was on and when.Hearing the bounce, the ball, the cheers, the thumping as people ran up & down the courts. I need to be back. I am so coming back.I left with desire & a plan! The staff gave me details of who organise teams so I can play in a team & I also asked about tennis because I would love to play tennis. Buts that’s the next story!
 

“I don’t need it easy, I just need it possible" – Bethany Hamilton (Disabled Pro Surfer).  

For a while now I have been trying my best to have new experiences but sometimes due my disability which makes me a bit unsteady on my feet (stairs can be a bit tricky) and being touch sensitive to some sensations, sticking with the activities and places I know can be easier and pushing myself into the unknown can be tough. 

When I saw that Cérge was launching on Aquaduck Sunshine Coast and I couldn’t believe it. I had seen the Aquaduck before and wanted to go, but was unsure about it all. Cerge made it possible.

Cérge has a virtual tour of the Aquaduck experience so I was able to virtually walk on board, check out the seats, look how many stairs there were and prepare. 

This made my whole experience so much better. I had very little anxiety about trying something new because I could see everything and had a complete mind map of what was ahead. I knew the areas I would need support for the stairs, I could see how the seats were organised. I knew where I wanted to sit. I could see the location of the boat driver and other passengers and all of this combined made my anxiety very little. 

My Support Worker, Mel and I had a wonderful time on board. I am looking forward to using the app more often to help us communicate to the business what we need before we arrive which just saves time and make the whole experience far more inclusive. 

I’m very excited that Cérge is now available at such cool and fun places! It makes me want to try new things that I never usually would! It opens up all sort of possibilities for me that I may not have had the courage to try before.

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This Story of Inclusion made possible by the Queensland Government's Accessible Tourism Enablers Grant and the Access Accelerator Program, a partnership between Spinal Life Australia & Cérge.