Splash Devonport
Stories of Inclusion / Splash Devonport
I don’t take my kids swimming at an aquatic centre. It’s just too hard. I have anxiety, ASD and ADHD, my son has ASD and my daughter has ADHD.
Therefore, going to a loud indoor pool can trigger anxiety in me and also for my kids. The collective of disabilities between us is what stops most family days.
To be honest, I know how important it is for kids to know how to swim. I want my kids to be water safe. I feel so guilty as a mum because I want them to be water babies and therefore extra safe around water. We live in Tasmania, it’s a bloody island. We need water safety!
However, the exhaustive process of getting us all to the pool feels so hard some days. When the cup is half empty and everyone is not having a great day the last thing we want is to go to a pool.
I struggle with this a lot because it’s so important.
Hearing that Cérge was coming to Splash Devonport was like a knight in shining armor! I’d heard good things about Cérge in other states so had been waiting for their arrival to the Apple Isle.
Wow! We use the app to let the venue know we were on our way. I notified them our “Must Know” which was to have a tour of the place, check timetables for swimming lessons and ask for a quieter space of possible. I also let them know the disabilities we have on hand so that they were aware, and we could feel at ease.
Just having the app gave me more confidence. I can't wait to see more places use it. I can see it will be amazing for my eldest as she becomes more independent as she can go silent and just cry when overwhelmed. Cérge will allow her to express her needs prior to arrival and she can access the Visual Story and therefore, hopefully reduce some overwhelm.
We had a family day at the pool!!!!!
And we got the timetable for swimming lessons!
Mum guilt = zero!
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Story of inclusion from staff member Hamish at Splash Devonport Aquatic and Leisure Centre.
We love Cérge, we were talking today amongst the staff about how incredible it really is and what it can do.
When Terry Sent the notification through last week, we had time to get the hoist set up and the aquatic wheelchair for him. We also knew when he was arriving, what he needed and some information about his disability that he wanted to share.
Terry is a legend.
When he arrived, because we had the notification prior and I had set up stuff for him, it kind of started connection before he had even arrived. So, when he arrived I just walked over and said “Hey Terrence, I’m Hamish”. It felt so easy!
Terry had a look at the pool, the gym and the Exercise physiologist as all of these services will assist him.
We are excited to have Cérge at Splash because we are more than willing to help anyway we can and sometimes with visual disability we have to guess and invisible disability we can’t see, therefore can’t know how to help.
Cérge saves time, instead of Terry having to wait for 10-15mins for to set up it was done. It saves him time and saved me time as it was done before he arrived and not when I had a counter full of swim lessons!
We have a “Sensory hour” in the gym where we turn the screens and lights down from 1pm-2pm which is pretty awesome as not many gyms are silent! Hahah
We are more than happy to cater to the needs of the whole community
When I heard Terry hadn’t been for a swim for ten years and now has the chance at Splash I was chuffed. This is just awesome. 100%
Thanks for visiting Terry, see you soon!
As a double amputee swimming can be terrifying. What if I don’t float? It’s been ten years since I got in a pool and I had my legs back then. So, this is a big deal!
Today is the first day that I have used the Cérge app to book a visit to Splash Devonport Aquatic and Leisure Centre. Normally with myself being a double aka (above knee amputee) in an electric wheelchair I can often find I am a bit apprehensive going to new places. I’m never quite sure if the new places I’m going to will be suitable for my needs and if arrive and then must just go home. It’s a bit annoying and anxiety inducing.
A lot of businesses I have been to previously don’t have sufficient room to manoeuvre around in a big wheelchair like mine, I would steer clear of venues like this. I have found some not suitable to my needs which can be quite off putting and disappointing. I was very excited to see Cérge has its very own Access and Inclusion guide with a a visual story. So, I looked at that before going. I was able to see photos of the doorways, the pathways, entrances, everything! There as so much information it was excellent.
Being the first time using Cérge I wasn’t sure how it would all go, but I found the app quite easy to use and I shouldn’t have worried. I guess I’ve just had so many disappointing experiences in the past.
I arrived at Splash and welcomed by Hamish who made me feel very at ease and was able to give me a full tour of the facilities. Let me tell you Splash is a great place with many pools and a hydrotherapy pool which is accessible by there own wheelchairs, with the use of a hoist. A sling in the spacious changing room that has plenty of wheelchair access. After seeing all the equipment I’m confident enough to now now that it will be no problem for me and my carer to visit in the future and I can now add swimming into my life. They also have a full leisure centre with many different exercise classes and a huge fully equipped gym.
I have found in the past that I can feel a little unsettled as I don’t feel welcome and not always seen if that makes sense, as well as some places aren’t set up for wheelchairs and people with disability like myself. However, that was something I did not have to worry about today, I felt welcomed and included thanks to Hamish who answered all my questions and showed me around the whole facilities at Splash.
I hope more business will start using and offering Cérge in the community. Being on the app, it shows me you are trying and you care. There is nothing else like it that I have come across. I know that myself and so many others who have any disability or restrictions will find the Cérge a benefit. This helps me have a fuller life and more things to do and that is very exciting!