Cérge

We are on a family holiday at the moment, myself, my husband and our two teenagers. We are driving from the north of New Zealand to the south.
I am a person who is Deaf and so travelling comes with its challenges. Some tourist attractions are just completely inaccessible to me. We can travel to a place and be very excited and then when we arrive we realise I can’t hear the tour guide or hear the show.
I can’t tell you the continuum of disappointment at times.
I’m a very positive human and with my disability I make the most of every encounter and communication. Sadly the frustration can build up at times.
I communicate via writing, lip reading, New Zealand Sign Language, which is an official language in NZ since 2006, however it doesn’t mean everyone knows or utilises it.
When I saw on the Cérge app that Trust House Recreation Centre has Cérge and was almost in our direction I was so incredibly excited! It’s 30 degrees here today and for us Kiwis that’s an oven. So a swim was the perfect idea!
I notified Trust House in the Cérge app that I would be arriving in 40mins, that I am a person who is Deaf and I would like the staff to communicate via writing, text, signs and gestures!
As soon as I arrived I had two staff members give me the biggest waves and smiles! They had great eye contact with me as I asked questions about the gym and sauna (way too hot for a sauna today hehe). Their enthusiasm to try and to do their best was so appreciated!
They wrote me a note, gave me a timetable and I went off into the pools to enjoy and look around! Trust House Recreation Centre is a great centre, the facilities are amazing and the staff were very friendly.
I read the note, it was about the prices and then a bit that said there was no visual effect for a fire emergency but that the lifeguards were aware of me and the staff member would sign to me if there was a fire.
This made me feel so incredibly safe, I can’t hear fire alarms or sirens and yet never has this been incorporated into a visit to any venue ever for me. I knew, they knew who I was and they would keep me safe.
Above
And
Beyond!
Being able to have inclusive customer service like this means I can visit places without needing a support person to assist with communication and that is a massive plus for me.
I just love that even on a family holiday I can use Cérge to help find inclusive venues and therefore visit them! We enjoyed going to a whole new town because of Cérge! 
Thank you Cérge and thank you Trust House Recreation Centre

Both my father and my husband have disabilities so I wanted to check out Mackay Aquatic Recreation Complex with the Cérge app to see if it could help us and make things easier. Before I visited the pool, I felt very curious about how the visit would go, as a person without a disability personally there is lots that we do not consider. With both my father and my husband having disabilities, and to put myself in their shoes was eye opening.? We used the Cérge app to let the staff know we were coming and required a tour of the facilities to see what would be suitable. After looking around the grounds, we felt comfortable and well accounted for. Staff were helpful and trained in the equipment that is offered for people with a range of disabilities.? Before I went to the location, I was optimistic. As one of the newer facilities within our community, I feel that they will be the most helpful and new facilities to cover a range of disabilities. The staff were so kind and ready to roll. They answered all questions confidently and with great understanding.? We had a wonderful experience and will definitely use Cérge in many more businesses to let them know our needs. I’m off to let dad know about Cérge and to give it a go! He will require more needs than me and I feel confident they will have him sorted!?

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.

"My son Henry is autistic and has very poor proprioception and muscle tone so he doesn’t go to a lot of places often because it’s usually far too much sensory input for him. His “wet noodling” around the place can crash into things etc. This causes extreme frustration and embarrassment for him and sometimes staff can be rude at times like this or not know how to help. It’s frustrating and my heart breaks for my son.I have to say I was pretty nervous going to White Ridge Farm with my son. I wasn’t sure how he would cope, how the staff would be and to be honest, if it would just be a disaster. We knew @cerge was at the farm so we were keen to give it a go as we have heard great things.The night before I read through the Visual Story on the app with the children and they felt as though they knew what to expect and were very excited. This was an amazing resource and certainly helped my own nerves because I new everyone had seen photos of the venue along with sights, smells and other possible sensory interactions.I notified White Ridge Farm on the app 60 mins before our arrival about our must knows which were areas and activities that are less noisy/busy with fewer people and plenty of space for Henry’s unique walking style and that we are bringing along the pram for him to sit in when he needs to.I received notification that they had read and acknowledged our requirements within 10 minutes of sending it. Talk about service!I booked our tickets online prior to ensure that we wouldn’t have to spend too much time at the entrance buying them where Henry would get anxious before our day even started. That process was great the staff member at the counter acknowledged that we were with Cérge and took extra time to go into further detail about the farm, directed at the children, about some of the sounds/smells/textures they may come across on our journey and gave them a map to help them orientate. This was great and made us feel like we were appreciated and not a bother.Once inside, the area was vast and there was PLENTY of the space that we needed on the paths. The staff were very friendly and answered every single one of Henry’s questions (and this kid asks a LOT of questions ). They also reiterated some of the strange ways his hand may feel as he feeds the animals, which is something I hadn’t even considered so thankful to them for that!Being able to take our own food and have a picnic was perfect as it’s always so hard to find foods that Henry will eat based on texture and we generally avoid places where outside food is prohibited.I would definitely recommend it to any families wanting a great day out! It was so great! The ability to let the farm know our situation through Cérge prior to arrival, the Visual Story to prepare and the amazing staff at Whites Ridge Farm. What a great day! I can’t wait to go out again and usually after a day out I think I never want to go out again! 

My Mr 11 Autistic and ADHD and runs off a lot. It is extremely 
scary because I never know when or where he is going to go. He 
will see something he wants to go and just run.
It’s terrifying.
One thing I try to do is show him places before we arrive to set his 
expectations, we can map out where to go and what is there and I 
can explain he will get to see everything he wants to see.
The problem is, not much information is provided online that I 
need. 
I don’t even want to tell you about the level of disappointment if 
that information is outdated and when we arrive things are 
different.
It puts 1000 spanners in the works.
I’m tired.
This is why when we saw Maleny Botanical Garden and Bird World 
on the Cérge website we were so excited. Cooper is bird mad! He LOVES them.
I knew at this level of excitement we would have to really layer the 
experience so I could prepare him.
Cérge has everything.
I showed him the Visual Story so we could walk through the 
photos of the entrance (some birds around), the pathways, to the 
bird world and inside and around the gardens and exhibits. It’s a 
big space and a bit daunting when I have a runner. Yet this 
information was our toolkit for survival and a fun day!
The Virtual Tour on the Cérge app had us able to see the whole 
place so that really helped prepare also. Cooper was SO excited!
We paid our entry and grabbed our maps and met the first birds! 
The pathways and exhibits are great! Some parts are steep so if 
you use a wheelchair you would want to check Cérge tools online 
to make sure it’s accessible for you. There are golf buggies to use 
and that’s a lot of fun!
The views are incredible! Wow! Heavens!
I was worried Cooper would be having TOO MUCH fun! Haha what 
a problem to have hey, but in all honesty I was worried he 
wouldn’t want to leave but he listened to instructions and it was a 
truly excellent day.
The staff are friendly and informative they checked who wanted 
birds on them and who didn’t which was great! The staff 
communicated fantastically and used multiple methods. They 
spoke clear and concise and used their hand movements also. This 
was really effective for us.
The whole vibe is just excellent!
Cooper got to interact with all types of birds, galahs, macaws, 
pigeons, cockatoos and more. He was in his element that’s for 
sure! I loved seeing my boy having so much fun, in his zone, brave 
and engaged! What a truly incredible experience for him!
We will be back!

I made a trip down to White’s Supa IGA on Monday, the newest partner addition to the Cérge app and wanted to share my experience.The whole team were fantastic I sent my notification with a request to please lower the music and the lights, I was lucky enough to have my peer worker with me for the day so I didn’t need as much assistance as I would if I was to go shopping alone.I checked in as we parked the car and by the time we got to the front door a manager was there to welcome us by name, how fancy!They had turned the music off completely which was lovely however due to the building being owned by Stockland they were unable to adjust the lights as it is seen as a health and safety issue. As they are now the store is well lit but certainly not anywhere near as bright and glaring as the big box stores. They are working hard to find a solution for this whilst still keeping everyone safe, so hopefully it will be an available option in the future.We also discussed what assistance is available for those of us shopping solo and I was pleased to hear that they will do everything they can to help, including having a team member shop with you if they are free.The manager gave us a tour of the store, asking questions about my dietary requirements and what I enjoyed eating then pointed out specific isles that met my needs. I know for some people this can be triggering but please know that I am sure my boundaries would have been respected if I had declined to answer.After confirming that everything was ok, she left us to shop in peace with the reassurance that if we needed anything all we had to do was ask a team member.Their product range is extensive with many unique options that you don’t see or are difficult to find in larger stores, including a wide variety of gluten free and vegan products, some of which I had never seen before and I will be going back to purchase later.I did not need my stick on Monday but the isles are wide and easily accessible for those of us using mobility aides.All in all a wonderful shopping experience and great to see local businesses joining Cérge so we can support them in return.