Cérge

I use a mobility scooter for all of my outings so it is vitally important that I have access to information about different places. I can’t tell you the amount of times I get caught where I can’t access a grocery aisle, a corner store, a clothing store or a chemist. Things like the size of the aisles, the doorways can all mean I can’t access them. Not to mention not being able to reach things on shelves. My partner is also my carer and so when I heard about Cérge we had a chat and decided to see what all the fuss was about. I don’t like to make a bother for people, I just want to be able to access the places I need and want to enjoy my life. Seeing Mudgereeba Aquatic Centre on the Cérge website was great, so close to me and a place I wanted to visit for hydrotherapy. My partner and I sat and looked through the Visual Story and Access Guide to make sure I was, 1. Find suitable parking 2. Able to get inside from the carpark 3. Get in the doorway 4. Have somewhere I can get changed 5. Get into the pool 6. Water at a temp that is ok for my hydrotherapy 7. Enjoy myself with minimal anxiety After looking through the tools I felt happy and equipped with the information to be able to attend. Abby was the staff member who greeted me when I arrived and she was so welcoming and helpful. She was a breath of fresh air and had the whole situation under control and we felt very at ease. I use pool noodles and enjoyed such a great swim. You need to take your own equipment to the pool which is pretty standard. We felt very accomplished and I would love to return to this pool! It’s so good for my body to move but it’s even better for the mindset! I really enjoyed myself, thank you everyone :)

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.

I wear two hats as I am the dad of a son (28 years old) who is quadriplegic, with Cerebral Palsy and I’ve been his carer for most of his life until NDIS came along. My son Christoper is an incredible human and is volunteering as the Qld Air Museum Video Production Manager. He uses a head switch and eye-tracking to control his devices and edit videos, operate cameras and fly drones. He is also my very own personal tech support! Haha
Being his dad and carer has taught me a lot over the years. My second hat is that of being the President of the Queensland Air Museum. I am one of over 140 active volunteers. 

You see our volunteers want to be able to provide a welcome and good service to anyone and everyone who visits us. We want to be as accessible and inclusive as possible and we want everyone to enjoy our amazing venue and we hope that shines through when you visit. 
We want people to feel as though we are interested in treating them as a person and not as a disability. Everyone comes to enjoy history and planes and that’s a passion we can all share together.

The Cérge website is brilliant and it’s started us on such a good path. We now have a button front and centre on our website - a wheelchair icon as it’s the universal symbol for disability, even though we know not all disability means a wheelchair. We have a lot of information now to share with every customer before they even arrive so they can check us out before they travel to visit us: Access guides, Visual Story, Virtual Tour, Keyword Sign Board, Audio Guide 

It is so brilliant that people can see it so easily and from the safety of their home where they can plan their outings. They can even use the measuring tool in the virtual tour to measure heights. It’s very cool!

Cérge has been the talk of the town here and has started us with a bunch of new projects and plans. We now have one of our volunteers who has taken on the role of developing an Access and Inclusion plan. 
Obviously infrastructure is always one to improve on. I’m working on a way to assist people with mobility challenges to access cockpit of an aircraft.

Alongside this we are also currently launching a major infrastructure development that is very exciting, it will take time but we have lots of things on the go to deliver the best access and inclusion possible. 
We are very excited to have Cérge showcasing our air museum which we just love. Opening up and seeing all of the photos and the virtual tour just speaks volumes to our visitors and visitors to be! Not to mention the whole community who sees our business caring about each person as best we can. 

My role as president is to influence the culture of our organisation as well as the infrastructure and we are always trying to improve!
See you soon for a tour of all the amazing planes and many displays!

We avoid the shops like the plague as Henry (autistic) normally is overwhelmed within minutes of arriving. To be honest sometimes even before we’ve made it through the car park to get to the shop.This happened a few weeks ago when we had to leave mid shopping experience, I thought we would be ok but it was a disaster. There were boxes everywhere, the store was loud as the music was playing through the loudspeaker and Henry had had enough before we even managed to get half way through our list. We left. Again.I don’t know how many times we have had to abandon cart mid shop, mid car park or just plain avoid shopping altogether. When people say “I’ll just pop into the shop on the way home” because it’s just something they can do. I think to myself I can’t imagine that ease as that is not anything like our life.We notified them via the Cérge app an hour before arriving with our must haves - low noise and light levels if possible and plenty of space for Henry to walk, hold (swing around ) a basket and for the pram if required.Henry is autistic and has a walk which requires more space and I have a pram for him as he can tire easily. We entered the store and within minutes had a lovely woman come up to us and explain that they had received the Cérge notification and could see the must haves and if there’s anything further she could do for us to let her know. I was impressed immediately.The music was off and it was quiet with the staff members moving anything out of the way as we approached and giving us a smile, making sure we could find everything and not showing any bother about it. Do you know how good it felt to not feel judged or like we were annoying people!They also did not stare at his AFOs and spoke to him rather than ignoring him like we experience in other places. This was such an incredible and beautiful extra. Instead of “just avoid, don’t look” which I think sometimes is because people don’t know what to do and I get that. But gee it was nice to feel like a part of the community having chats whilst shopping and Henry happy.My anxiety was the lowest it’s ever been whilst shopping! Henry was getting a little overwhelmed by the end of our shop and Jodi (Manager) opened up another register for us so that we could move through faster, including the kids in the process and again asking if there was anything else we needed help finding.So good! This kind of inclusive and also intuitive experience was so amazing! It was a wonderful experience and definitely a place we will shop again! I didn’t feel the usual stress I do when Henry started showing signs of being overwhelmed (which was right at the end this time, not the start!) as I knew we had the support of the staff members and this was such an incredible feeling of comfort.Henry has already asked when we are going again!!Wow!!Wow!!Wow!!

As a speaker at this years AITCAP conference I already have a few nerves. I’m excited though and so grateful for the opportunity.

As a person with disability arriving at a new venue can be anxiety inducing enough. I use a wheelchair so step free entrances are something I look for, wider doorways, access to the car park.

The list goes on.

So when going to a venue for the first time, it can be really difficult and time consuming to find all the information I need just to access a venue and its facilities. One major component is seating, will there be a space for my wheelchair, will there be a space near the front now that I’m a speaker in the day.

This year the AITCAP conference have upped their game amazingly, they use the Cérge Companion site which has a visual story, up to date photos of all the areas, plus a list of sounds at each part of the venue. There is also reference to the car parking, each room and where they accessible carparks are so I know how to get to the venue with ease. This site has reduced so much anxiety for me because it feels alas if I’ve already been to the venue.

I also used the Cérge app to notify the venue on my arrival. Arriving at the venue I was greeted by Chris and given everything I needed for the day in regards to where registration is and the room I’m speaking in. I felt so welcomed and it really added to my confidence for the day ahead and getting on stage! Eek!

I am so happy the AITCAP conference have gone above and beyond with access and inclusion this year. I haven’t actually experienced that through type of inclusion previously and given the type of conference it is its great to see them leading the way alongside Cérge!
Makes me excited for the Paralympics in 2032 hahahaha

Here’s to a great day ahead!

I’ve avoided outings due to having experienced non neurodiverse friendly businesses that can exasperate PTSD meltdowns and AUD sensory overload. In the past I have been treated pretty average by staff at places and it can spike my PTSD. My son is ADHD so we look to choose "safe" environments to prevent running off with a younger, eager to follow sister and getting into harm's way. Again for him, if the environment is too over stimulating he can be unable to focus or process safe decisions increasing his impulsivity and dangerous situations. Not to mention I become more stressed and it’s just literally no fun at all. This week I wanted to have a belated birthday celebration at Albany Creek Leisure Centre for my 7 year old. We were looking for a relaxed environment to meet a friend and celebrate while showing off my son's new swimming skills. I had reviewed the centre through the helpful Cerge App and the Visual story description and decided to give it a try. I was nervous I was anxious I need to be able to be prepare for multiple of situations or possible situations. Using Cérge it was helpful listing user friendly business to consider and I also found helpful that it shows the distance to the location when considering central meeting point for convenience. Cerge helped reassure I was choosing a neurodiverse friendly environment, allowing me to view the facilities through the Visual Story therefore helping in assuring we could all have an enjoyable, safe time. Toddler pool, Safe entry, Disability parking, Marked pedestrian crossing (better for kids), Spacious and modern shower, ND friendly, Feel welcome, The simple communication and easy entry really helps ease anxiety for me. When attending events being on the spectrum and trying to juggle communication, bags, payments and process information and excitable children at once can often become overwhelming, and dampen a experience. If staff are impatient or unhelpful it’s just makes it a terrible concoction of events. Albany Creek Leisure counter staff were engaging with the kids and helped ensure their wrist bands were put on correctly by them and I was so greatfull for their helpful service. The environment was calm and spacious which meant I didn't feel we were encroaching on anyone's space or activities whilst having plenty of room for kids to play and splash. Once we had splashed our way through the available amenities and all tuckered out ,we were able to have a warm shower in their modern design spacious bathroom facilities. It was a highly enjoyable day out for all that attended and would recommend it for those looking for a relaxed, friendly, accessible environment with loads of entertainment and different programs on offer. Use Cérge! You’ll get all the info before you arrive and no chance of feeling stuck or getting into a pickle you weren’t aware of.