I am visually impaired, I can’t read signage in areas well, I zoom in on phones and websites and some things I just can’t see and never will.

The world is different for me than it may be for you and that’s ok. All I want is to be thought of and when needed, someone to be an extra set of eyes for me if required. I’m often overlooked.
I enjoy living my life and I really enjoy having fun. So when booking my trip to the Sunshine Coast I was extremely excited to learn about Cérge. I was ready and interested to see if maybe Cérge would be my travel buddy whilst there.

I enjoyed my time on the Sunshine Coast and visited a few places but my absolute highlight was using Cérge at the airport.

Here’s what usually happens for me when travelling:
Can’t see signs, get lost, get flustered, get stressed.
I have trouble reading where to go and what to do and then anxiety takes over and the whole experience just feels hard.

This time, wow.

I used the Virtual Tour from my own device and was able to mind map the Sunshine Coast Airport as best I could. I was able to familiarise myself with things like baggage, toilets and security.

After learning I could notify the airport about my arrival I was keen to give it a go.
Would be more be more nervous without it that’s for sure.

At the airport I checked in on the app as it shows I’ve arrived :) so cool!

The staff member, Brock, found me, took me through to the Jetstar check-in counter, assisted me to check in and put my bag on the conveyor things.

What service!!!
My nerves were dwindling, I felt like someone cared but in a ‘happy to assist’ way, not a “poor you” way.

The Jetstar lady gave me a seat in row 2 to make it easier for me on the plane. So thoughtful :) I actually was so impressed!

Brock then walked me through to security and the security lady was also great by asking if I needed assistance. It was so seamless!

The staff not only supported me today, they gave me confidence to go back through the airport a second time. What a win!

Being able to do the Virtual Tour beforehand was also really useful in know what to expect.
I used it again once inside to help me find the bathrooms.

Cérge is a world first, I used it before, during and after I checked in today. Cérge helped me in a multitude of ways, before I arrived to prepare, physically at the venue and then to refresh my memory when I needed the bathroom.

If I could travel with this much peace of mind and this low level of anxiety and high level of inclusion I would travel far more often and more!

Hats off to Sunshine Coast Airport for being leaders in Access and Inclusion.