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.