White Ridge Farm
Stories of Inclusion / White Ridge Farm
When Henry came to visit us at Whites Ridge Farm we were excited to have him join us for the day and meet the animals. Henry’s mum sent a notification through the Cérge app to let us know their arrival times, that Henry needs some space on paths due to the way he walks and that they would appreciate people not staring at him. The last part was heartbreaking that a mum would need to ask people not to stare at her son.
At Whites Ridge Farm we have many people with disability visit so we were grateful for Henry’s personal information so that we knew we could ensure we gave the service he required. We pride ourselves on our customer service and although we didn’t really do much different for Henry than we would for another customer we had the added extra bonus of knowing his personal preferences and that makes a big difference. We don’t have to assume because they had told us what they need and don’t need.
The family had taken the time to familiarise themselves with the farm through the Visual Story so they knew the sights, sounds, smells and feels and had access to heaps photos of all areas of the farm.
Once the notification arrived that Henry was on his way I jumped on the Two Way Radio and let the team know we have a Cérge guest and these are the things he requires throughout the day. It makes a big difference having an incredible team, we are very lucky!
Henry enjoyed his day and we explained things like how it would feel when the animals ate food from his hand, what the yards may smell like and how the animals may feel when you hold them. Henry liked the chickens. Hehe
In all honestly what we have realised through having Cérge and our customers being able to communicate what they need is that they don’t want huge things, they are small things for us to be able to do to help make their day better, which huge for them and allows them to feel safe and return another time. Moving something off the path so they can move past in a wheelchair, letting them know the sheep may slobber on their hand, where to sit to have some quiet lunch, these are easy things for our staff to implement.
We love Cérge because being able to know when someone has an invisible disability and what they need is paramount to our customer service. We would have no idea otherwise so Cérge and the communication is amazing for this!
Thank you Henry for visiting the farm 
We look forward to your next visit
Read More Stories
"My son Henry is autistic and has very poor proprioception and muscle tone so he doesn’t go to a lot of places often because it’s usually far too much sensory input for him. His “wet noodling” around the place can crash into things etc. This causes extreme frustration and embarrassment for him and sometimes staff can be rude at times like this or not know how to help. It’s frustrating and my heart breaks for my son.
I have to say I was pretty nervous going to White Ridge Farm with my son. I wasn’t sure how he would cope, how the staff would be and to be honest, if it would just be a disaster. We knew @cerge was at the farm so we were keen to give it a go as we have heard great things.
The night before I read through the Visual Story on the app with the children and they felt as though they knew what to expect and were very excited. This was an amazing resource and certainly helped my own nerves because I new everyone had seen photos of the venue along with sights, smells and other possible sensory interactions.
I notified White Ridge Farm on the app 60 mins before our arrival about our must knows which were areas and activities that are less noisy/busy with fewer people and plenty of space for Henry’s unique walking style and that we are bringing along the pram for him to sit in when he needs to.
I received notification that they had read and acknowledged our requirements within 10 minutes of sending it. Talk about service!
I booked our tickets online prior to ensure that we wouldn’t have to spend too much time at the entrance buying them where Henry would get anxious before our day even started. That process was great the staff member at the counter acknowledged that we were with Cérge and took extra time to go into further detail about the farm, directed at the children, about some of the sounds/smells/textures they may come across on our journey and gave them a map to help them orientate. This was great and made us feel like we were appreciated and not a bother.
Once inside, the area was vast and there was PLENTY of the space that we needed on the paths. The staff were very friendly and answered every single one of Henry’s questions (and this kid asks a LOT of questions ). They also reiterated some of the strange ways his hand may feel as he feeds the animals, which is something I hadn’t even considered so thankful to them for that!
Being able to take our own food and have a picnic was perfect as it’s always so hard to find foods that Henry will eat based on texture and we generally avoid places where outside food is prohibited.
I would definitely recommend it to any families wanting a great day out! It was so great! The ability to let the farm know our situation through Cérge prior to arrival, the Visual Story to prepare and the amazing staff at Whites Ridge Farm. What a great day! I can’t wait to go out again and usually after a day out I think I never want to go out again!
My daughter uses a wheelchair and my son has Autism so picking
the right outing/activity can be challenging due to two differing
sets of needs and types of access required.
We looked up the Visual Story beforehand and my son was
already impressed he told me “oh it helps me to know what noises
will be there”. Reading the Visual Story to prepare my son about
what he would see, smell, feel and hear was very valuable.
We notified on the app that we would be arriving in 60 minutes
and let them know our needs for the day.
It was really great to be greeted by name with genuine
excitement. It makes you feel welcome and included straight
away. Everyone was very friendly. It was good that they knew a
little about my children before we arrived and what I may of
needed because they were able to give me the information I
needed such as where the change table was, or that the tractor
ride would be loud. In particular, the tractor driver was very
considerate of sensory needs and very understanding.
We would usually choose to go to another zoo, which we also find
to be very accessible and inclusive. Teo said this was better than
the zoo due to how up close they could get to all the animals to
pat and feed them. We believe one of the farms biggest inclusive
features is how a child in a wheelchair does not face any barriers
when it comes to patting any of the animals. At other venues
Macie is often too short to see or reach over fences, and the front
of her wheelchair often hits a fence stopping her from getting
close.
As a venue, it was overall accessible for wheelchairs. I was so
relieved to see a footpath not gravel. In my sons words: “ You can definitely tell that they were trying to be inclusive by the way they talked to Macie. She could get around
really easy.”
When I asked my son what he thought about it for himself he said,
“At least they warned me about the loud sounds, that was useful. I
like how they let you know about what was going to happen.”
He continues on “It was like you’re in the perspective of someone
who described it really well. Like when it said all the windy roads
and trees and what to expect when you get there. I’ve only been
to a farm once before and the story helped me imagine it”
It helped him feel less anxious which is a really big win for me as
his Mum.
As a mum you want your kids to have great experiences this can
be difficult at times due to access and also challenging due to
inclusion.
We didn’t experience many difficulties yesterday at all and we are
truly grateful to both Cérge and White Ridge Farm.
The other day we visited White Ridge Farm.
We are an Autistic & ADHD, solo parent family, with 2 children (8 & 9), with some added extras which can impede our mobility and endurance. Just for fun, I also brought a friend and her daughter who is visually impaired and uses a white cane.
When we arrived, it wasn’t particularly visible as to where the disabled parking was, as we were looking for the typical blue signage. Not a huge problem for us.
We were beautifully welcomed on arrival. My children were already in a heightened state and so my anxiety was beginning to kick in, so I was having a little trouble processing what was being said, but I was reassured by the staff member, who took on the decision making for me and set us on our way. She also was sure to let us know that all staff were available at any time during our visit, should we need any assistance. This turned out to be the case in almost all incidences. My son was very insistent on completing many rounds of mini golf and as such, would abscond from anything else we may have been doing at the time, to return to another game. He is like lightening! On several occasions, staff notified me of my son’s abscondence and the direction in which he went. There was no judgement and, in fact, their youngest member of staff, let me know that she has a younger brother with Autism and ADHD and that she understood. She kept an eye on my daughter, who didn’t want to leave the rabbits, so that I could locate him.
All in all, we had a wonderful time. Their animals are just beautiful, and I LOVE that you get a cup of food on the way in. It was particularly special to be able to hang with a bunny, given that they’re illegal to keep as a pet in QLD. Also, the horses had such beautiful demeanors, my son was coming to the end of his capacity when one walked up to him and nudged him for a cuddle.
On our way out, we discussed our visit and were told that there are plans to improve access to the entry, although even now it’s pretty good. They were happy to hear what we thought, very open to suggestions and keen to make changes.
Good facilities, excellent staff, mini golf, we will be there again.