Ascot Vale Leisure Centre
Stories of Inclusion / Ascot Vale Leisure Centre
I have a connective tissue disorder and have had many invasive
orthopaedic procedures. I am a full-time wheelchair user.
Today I had my first visit to the Ascot Vale Leisure Centre to check
out the facilities. I had a positive experience here from a staff
member called Mia. She greeted me when I arrived and knew I
was on my way. Today is my first time using Cérge but I made sure
I checked out as much information as I could beforehand. There is
so much information. It’s amazing :)
I had a little bit of nerves going into a new place as I wasn't sure
how welcoming the workers would have been. Visiting new places
can be nerve-wracking for me as I have had some bad experiences
in the past at venues that have really upset me and made me lose
my confidence due to being treated as though I wasn't respected
or a valued customer. I don’t think people get how much their
customer service can make or break a person.
Mia was really accommodating, I felt as though she spoke directly
to me, walked with me and not ahead of me. This is incredibly
important to me as a wheelchair user. I had a support worker
accompany me and I was really happy that Mia spoke to me,
asked me questions and didn't expect my support worker to talk
for me. This happens a lot and can make me feel really sad and
like I don’t exist when staff talk as though I’m not there. Even
worse when they talk about me, in front of me. Today with Mia, it
was so refreshing and had me smiling
Cérge is very new to me. When I heard about it, I thought it was a
great idea and can't wait for it to be at other venues in Victoria. I
plan to use it on an upcoming holiday to Perth. I would love to see
more of Cérge around my local area or in the Melbourne CBD. I
would love Cérge everywhere even local parks would be amazing
for me from an access perspective.
I found the app was easy to use, the pictures and icons were clear.
I liked that I could have a virtual tour before I visited so that I
knew what to expect. My reading isn't the best so pictures and
videos work well for me.
I usually visit a leisure centre closer to my home however visiting
Ascot Vale Leisure Centre made me more confident to potentially
try different places in the future.
I felt quite good in myself after my visit because the staff were
supportive and made my experience feel good.
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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
I met a new friend today named Cérge 
Due to a brain injury and anxiety I find going to new places alone very overwhelming. Many times I won’t go to places or attend because I get too anxious or scared about staff misunderstanding me or treating me on a way that will be challenging for me because they don’t know anything about me.
Knowing Cérge can allow me to access assistance or forward plan gave me great peace of mind
As a first time Cerge user visiting a new place I was feeling quite overwhelmed today. Rebecca at the Ascot Vale Leisure Centre was very understanding and took the time to give me a tour of the facilities and explained all the accessibility features available from the ramp into the pool and accessible change rooms to the adaptive options in the fitness classes. It was so nice to have her serve me in a way that helped me personally. It made a world of difference.
It's great to see a leisure centre take so much care in ensuring accessibility requirements are not only being met but extended to invisible disabilities, this is rare so very refreshing. I also have Autism and significant sensory processing issues which are invisible to most people.
The ramp into the pool with an easy to use wheelchair for transport, multiple disabled parking spaces, multiple accessible toilets and change rooms and 3 minutes walk from the bus stop.
Looking forward to visiting again and seeing my new mate Cérge
Today with the help of my good friend Cérge, I visited Ascot Vale Leisure Centre. I was anxious, as I had never been there before and I was wanting to check out the facilities and make sure it had the proper supports in place for my Wheelchair using Wife, who also suffers from Agoraphobia and struggles to leave the house and go new places, to attend the Centre at a later date
Thankfully while on a tour of the centre with a friendly staff member
I was happy to see the supports that are in place at Ascot Vale Leisure Centre for people who are in Wheelchairs or differently abled
Aquatic Wheelchairs and Pool Ramp access for getting in and out of the water
No more having to climb up or down a ladder to get in or out
Which is something my Wife would not be able to do
As well as plenty of room around the Pools for a Wheelchair to get around and disabled change rooms with easy access
Thanks to Cerge and the Cérge Community I was able to find out all that Ascot Vale Leisure Centre has to offer and know that when me and my Wife visit there in the near future
There are supports already in place
So that my Wife can have a relaxing and stress free time