Netball All Stars group for players with an intellectual disability: seeking players

Hills District Netball Association will be running a Netball All Stars group for players with an intellectual disability in 2017.

Who: Players aged 8 or above

Where: Netball Complex, Pennant Hills Park (Sydney) 

When: Friday nights May – August, 5.15pm – 6.30pm each week

Sessions: Sessions will be made up of warm up activities, skills practice and some game play. It is anticipated that the group will enter at least one carnival throughout the season. 

Cost: $50. This covers player registration and insurance in addition to carnival entry fees. 

To register for the program, download the registration form by clicking this link

Send your completed form to: hdnaallstars@gmail.com

Sydney workshops on Microboards

Introduction to Microboards

1 April 2017 - West Ryde (Sydney) 

and
Family Mentoring Session

2 April 2017 - West Ryde (Sydney) 

Developmental Disability WA

A microboard is a small group of people, typically committed family and friends who form an incorporated association and work with the person to help them plan and achieve their goals for a good life. 

Depending on a person’s particular needs, a Microboard’s role can include assisting with coordinating support services, finding and keeping employment and facilitating friendships. 

This workshop will introduce you to what a microboard is and how they can be set up and run. 

• The orgnisers advise that NDIS participants might be able to use NDIS funds to attend these workshops. 

People with disabilities are welcome at Mardi Gras

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade is on Saturday 5 March 2016.

The full program of events, starting on 19 February is here.

People with disabilities are welcome at Mardi Gras
Matt Akersten, Same Same, 8 February 2016

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade isn’t just about having some fun while covered in glitter, it’s an opportunity for people to feel connected and included, say the team at not-for-profit disability service provider Northcott. 

People with Disability Australia, the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, and Northcott are joining forces for a Disability Pride parade float and will be active at Fair Day too. 

“In 2016 we’d like to invite people with disability from far and wide to join us,” say the Northcott crew ...

Support for enjoyment and safety of the beach and other water activities

We are so lucky to have a beautiful climate, the best beaches, and lots of opportunities for swimming and other water activities. Many people with Down syndrome love the beach and other swimming activities just like anyone else, and need little or no support to stay safe. Others need a bit of support to develop skills and confidence, and some need much more. 

In addition to community swimming and water safety activities that might be your first port of call, here are some places to try that aim to help you make the most of summer (and much of autumn and spring, or all year round), whatever support you or your child might need ...

Little Heroes Swim Academy is based in Sydney's eastern suburbs, offering classes and other activities in a number of locations there, and at Putney (Ryde). They are very experienced in teaching people with all kinds of disabilities, and include a program to 'bring the beach to people with disabilities because everyone has a right to be included'.

• Little Heroes Swim Academy on Facebook (see the 6 January post about the beach program)

Rainbow Club - fifteen clubs in NSW provide swimming lessons for children with a disability. They operate during the four school terms.

• Rainbow Club on Facebook

Down Syndrome Swimming Australia - 'DSSA encourages individuals with Down syndrome to actively participate in the great sport of swimming at all levels of competency. Our aim is to give people with Down syndrome the opportunity to swim competitively against other athletes and to provide a pathway to local, national and international competition.' DSSA has selected a team to compete in the World Trimsome Games in Florence, Italy in 2016.

• Down Syndrome Swimming Australia on Facebook

Disabled Surfers Association of Australia 'is uniquely Australian having ambitions to go global, whilst setting world’s best practice for the sport of Disabled Surfing. Initially set up for injured surfers, within a short time the DSA had dramatically widened its target group to cater for all disabilities that is anyone willing to have a go.' The website and Facbook page have the best photos!

• Disabled Surfers Australia on Facebook

Sailors with Disabilities 'provides free sailing and training programs for people with a disability, disadvantaged children and adults, and their carers.'

• Sailors with Disabilities on Facebook

Special Olympics Australia offers recreational and competitive Aquatics programs. You need to check into your local region's page on the website to see what activities are available. Some regions have their own Facebook pages.

• Special Olympics Australia on Facebook
• Special Olympics ACT and NSW on Facebook

Swimming Australia 'recognises the great potential for people with disability to participate in all aspects of the sport and we have been committed for many years to making inclusion simply part of what we do. Swimming Australia believes in taking a social approach to disability inclusion by putting the swimmer first, adapting to individual need and addressing both physical and attitudinal barriers to participation.' Links to State associations, clubs, classification, competitions and other disability/swimming organisations.

• Swimming NSW on Facebook

Up Club Local

Down Syndrome NSW has received funding through the National Disability Insurance Agency that will provide additional opportunities for our members to connect with their local communities. As part of this funding, we are establishing Up Club Local groups.

These social groups are distinct from our successful and long-running Up Club and have been developed to increase the accessibility of Up Club to adults with Down syndrome. Membership to Up Club Local groups is open to current members of the Up Club as well as others who do not currently attend Up Club.

Current Up Club Locals - we have now established 4 Up Club Local groups in the Sydney area:

Up Club Inner West – meets monthly at a regular meeting spot in Newtown.
Up Club North – meets monthly at a regular meeting spot in Chatswood.
Up Club South – this group meets monthly at a regular meeting spot in Cronulla.
Up Club Blue Mountains – meets monthly at a regular meeting spot in Springwood.

These Up Club Local groups are open to adults with Down syndrome and intellectual disability. So far, the Up Club Local groups have had fun getting to know each other at a range of activities including planning meetings, Yum Cha lunches, live music nights, pub and trivia nights, visits to the local markets and the cinemas. Group members are encouraged to be actively involved in planning the activities that the group chooses to do together.

If you live in one of these areas and would like to join, please contact Lyb: lyb.makin@dsansw.org.au

New Up Club Locals:
Down Syndrome NSW would like to establish more Up Club Local groups in your area, and is looking to recruit energetic and passionate Up Club Group Co-ordinators in the following areas:

Hornsby, Ryde and North Western Sydney
South-Western Sydney
Central Coast and Newcastle
Wollongong
Mid-North Coast
Far North Coast

If you know anyone who would be suitable for a casual position with Down Syndrome NSW, please contact Lyb: lyb.makin@dsansw.org.au

'Look, Cook, and Eat' digital cooking magazine launched

Look, Cook and Eat is a logical progression from adapted cookbooks and menu planners, to an online service making the most of new media. The news about its release was passed on to us by well known dietician and advocacte Joan Medlen, so we know it is well worth considering:

Look, Cook, and Eat officially opened for business on 13th October - the first digital magazine designed to help teach people with special needs and learning challenges how to cook.

Screen shot from the Look, Cook and Eat website

With a yearly subscription, you have access (by computer or tablet) to new menus every other month (six issues per year). Every recipe in every menu will have photos of ingredients and tools needed and short, simple videos to show you how to make it. You receive an email when a new issue is available.

Several people with Down syndrome feature in the videos and images, and have been involved in development of the concept. Some unfamiliar products will appear on ingredient lists since it is US based, but it would be easy to provide images of local substitutes.

It would lend itself to classroom use or one:one learning with a support worker, as well as independent use. It could be a useful way to give in-family support at arms length.

Visit the website for further details, to see the promotional video, and to subscribe. And of course there is a Look, Cook and Eat Facebook page, and a blog!

'A Place I Can Proudly Call Home': Every Australian Counts camapign

A Place I Can Proudly Call Home: Housing Action Plan
Every Australian Counts, 24th April 2015

Housing for people with disability is in crisis. 

Over 650 people with disability, their families and carers shared their housing stories detailing the challenges they face with inadequate housing now, and their fears for the future. 

They also shared their dreams, their hopes and their aspirations for appropriate housing that supports them to live their lives independently and to the full.
Together they represent the voice of the disability community and a compelling case for action ... read the summary, and/or download the full report here, and use links to share

Adult exercise class: Sydney (Cremorne)

Flyer as .pdf

Summer

DS Australia queries reality TV series

Down Syndrome Australia has issued a statement about the ABC TV series 'The Dreamhouse', that debuts tomorrow night (Thursday 7th August):

The Dreamhouse; will it make a difference in real life?

Down Syndrome Australia (DSA) welcomes the focus on the daily lives of people with Down syndrome and the opportunity to discuss the issue of the significant unmet need for housing and support in the community for people with intellectual disability that ‘The Dreamhouse’, produced by Artemis International and broadcast nationally on ABC TV, provides.

Down Syndrome Australia acknowledges the good intentions of the The Dreamhouse, but regretfully finds the premise of the program quite discouraging. The ‘dream’ setting obscures the fact that the young people are living in a group home, a living arrangement we regard as outdated and paternalistic.

Good health: fitness recommendation from the Adult Down Syndrome Clinic (22 years old this week!)

cricket might be 'our' game, but we can do baseball activities for fitness, can't we?

Free until 31st January

Here's an iPad fitness app recommendation from the experts at the Adult Down Syndrome Clinic in Chicago.

Congratulations to the Adult Down Syndrome Clinic on the 22nd anniversary of your opening, on 17th January. That's a lot of experience working with adults with Down syndrome, and a wonderful contribution to the community, worldwide.

Service Support and Success: men's health issue; vacations issue

The latest two issues of the excellent (and free!) online newsletter for support workers, from Canada, Service, Support and Success, edited by Dave Hingsburger and Angie Nethercott, both address matters important to people with disabilities, as always.

Willie Wellness: What You Need To Know In Order To Provide Effective Care, Down There, For Men With Disabilities
Dave Hingsburger, Service, Support and Success, Vol 2, Issue 9
It’s not uncommon for direct support professionals to be providing support for people twice their age and people of opposite gender. Questions from a 50 year old woman to a 20 year old man, or the reverse, as was the case with the woman who came into my office, can cause embarrassment and a lack of practical knowledge. This article is one that begins to discuss providing men with support specific to their needs as men. The subject of men’s health is a huge one, so this article is just a start. Follow up articles will deal with other health issues and with more “how to’s” for teaching. Consider this just a fact sheet about men’s private parts and information that you may need to provide information ...

Inclusive, Exclusive Vacations: Planning Vacations for People with Significant NeedsAngie Nethercott  and Dave Hingsburger, Service, Support and Success, Vol 2, Issue 8
... 'There was a man I worked with more than ten years ago now. He always wanted to go on a holiday, but never did while I was there. I always said that he shouldn’t go on a vacation because he had bad behaviours and that he would not be able to cope with change.

All of us staff agreed and we said that it was for his own good that he stay at home. In my heart, I knew that the reason we said this was because it would of made a lot more work for us staff. Every summer he was really sad because all of his friends got to go on holidays, but he stayed home. After I left, a bunch of other staff left too. The new staff took him on lots of vacations. I think you should write about how even if it’s a lot of work, people should get to have a holiday. What I did was wrong and I’m sorry'...

• Link to back issues of Service, Support and Success on the Vita Living Services website, here

Inner West social club: CatholicCare

CatholicCare has formed a new Social Club for people with disabilities over the age of 18 years old, that live with a carer, within the Inner West area of Sydney. 

Referrals will be taken to the end of May.

We will be taking small groups out into the community to the picnics, bowl

ing, arts and craft, cooking, clubs, putt putt golf, BBQ’s, movies, beaches, train and ferry trips and museums all these activities will be held across the week. 

We are aiming to keep activity costs as low as possible, however there will be a small cost involved in each activity to cover the price of entry, lunch or materials. The costs, time and date will be sent out on a quarterly calendar, then you will need to return to the office and then you will receive the confirmation of your activity choice prior to the first activity. 

We may not be able to offer you a place in every single activity, however we are we aim to offer an alternative activity where possible.

• Contact: Terrie or Anela on 8778 4222 for more information.

Constructing Futures: survey of parents' aspirations for young adults with intellectual disabilities

An Australian Research Council Linkage Project in partnership with Endeavour Foundation:

You are invited to participate in Constructing Futures: survey of parents' aspirations for young adults with intellectual disabilities, a survey aimed at increasing our understanding of what parents hope the lives of their young adult with an intellectual disability will be. 

We are asking parents of a young adult with an intellectual disability between the ages of 18 and 30 years to respond to the survey. 

You can open the survey and respond to the questions at any time until the end of 2013. We anticipate the survey will take between 20-30 minutes to complete. 

This project aims todevelop a better understanding of theaspirations for their adult life that are held by young adults with an intellectualdisability, and by their parents. 

Organisations that provide services to this vulnerable group will be able to use the results to examine current, and guide future, service provision for this group.

• Click here to take the survey

Disability and retirement: Inclusive and active ageing - seminar

Centre for Disability and Research Policy (University of Sydney):

Older Australians with a disability are working in open employment and in Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs), but many know little about retirement and are ill-prepared for their third age. What will they do when they are no longer working? Will they be socially isolated and bored or will they enjoy an active, socially connected retirement? How can disability service providers support these individuals to plan for and achieve a fulfilling retirement?

Disability and Retirement Seminar

1 pm - 5 pm Friday 14th June, 2013

University of Sydney, Camperdown

• Full details of program, speakers, venue and registration

Families accommodation action group: $3M NSW Government funding

Minister for Disability Services, Andrew Constance, has announced $3 million in capital funding to St George Community Housing for the innovative Sutherland Shire Disability Accommodation Action Group (SSDAAG) pilot project.

"This project is an excellent example of how families, non-government organisations and government can all work together to get the best outcomes for people with disability," Mr Constance said.

"This capital funding grant will go towards providing accommodation options for people with disability in the Sutherland Shire."

Since June 2011, the NSW Government has been working with representatives from SSDAAG and non-government providers in the Sutherland Shire to trial person-centred approaches to planning and budgeting for 18 identified families. Under the project, individualised packages can be pooled to establish a sustainable accommodation setting of families' choosing.

... full text of the Minister's press release.

Wordless Wednesday (Down Syndrome Awareness Week 2012)

Circles of Support: Resourcing Families workshop, metro and regional NSW

Circles of Support - all you need to know to get started and keep going!

Resourcing Families is running a practical workshop for families about the ‘how to’ of setting up, running and maintaining a circle of support. Circles of support are an effective strategy for getting more people involved in the life of a person with disability to support them in their life goals and to have a lifestyle that suits them. This can be an enriching and empowering opportunity, as well as an important strategy for keeping people safe into the future.

West Ryde,  13 November 2012

Newcastle,  14 November 2012

Coffs Harbour,  16 November 2012

The day is for families (mothers, fathers, adult brothers and sisters, other relatives) and friends of

people with developmental disability. It would be a great idea to bring any prospective circle

members with you. Families that include a young person with disability are encouraged to attend.

• Flier

See the Resourcing Families website for more details about these events, or phone Resourcing Families on 9869 7753 or 1800 774 764 (NSW non metro callers)

Email: info@resourcingfamilies.org.au

Resourcing Families is an initiative of Family Advocacy NSW

$250,000 for swimming lessons for children with disability in NSW

The Rainbow Club Australia will soon be helping to change the lives of many more children, with news it has received significant Government funding towards teaching children with disabilities how to swim.

The announcement was made by NSW Minister for Disability Services, Andrew Constance, who said that $250,000 would be invested in the Rainbow Club, a charity that has been providing swimming lessons for young people with disabilities and helping them find their independence through recreational activities for more than 20 years.

Alexandra Finley, President of Rainbow Club Australia, said the organisation was delighted by the news.

“Our goal is to ensure that as many children as possible have the opportunity to learn and build on their skills in the water, so we are absolutely thrilled that the NSW Government has provided us with such a generous grant.

“While we already have over 500 children learning to swim with us, we also have at least 100 children on our waiting lists at clubs throughout New South Wales.

“The funding will not only help to reduce our waiting lists, but will also go a long way towards assisting us in establishing clubs across the state over time – particularly in those areas where children don’t have access to swimming lessons tailored for their needs,” she said.

Rainbow Club patron and Paralympic gold medallist Louise Sauvage was similarly enthusiastic about the news.

“I started swimming at the age of three. I know firsthand the difference it can make to the lives of kids with a disability – the health benefits and social interaction truly can change a young life.

“I am currently in London as Assistant Coach with the Australian wheelchair track and road team, and right now I am witnessing the impact of sport on the lives of individuals with a disability at the highest level.

“You never know the Rainbow Club’s programs could be creating some of our future Australian Paralympians,“ she said.

Ms. Finley emphasised the importance of ongoing fundraising to keep up with growing demand for the services offered by the organization.

“While we are extremely grateful for this one off grant, we also want to be able to ensure a sustainable future for the Rainbow Club Australia.

“The grant will go a long way towards helping us achieve this, but we are also dependent on a regular stream of funding to set us up for future success,” she said.

The Rainbow Club facilitates swimming lessons for children with disabilities, supporting 16 local clubs across NSW that meet on a weekly basis.  Approximately 500 children are presently learning to swim with the Rainbow Club and many more have benefited from their experience with the Rainbow Club since its inception.

For more information about the clubs visit: www.rainbowclubaust.com.au

Source: Rainbow Club Australia

Positive Directions: Resourcing Families workshop, regional NSW

See the previous post for information about Family Advocacy events scheduled for the 10th October in Coffs harbour and 16th October in Nowra :

About the Workshop:
Many families have said that they would like their son or daughter with disability to enjoy the same good, ordinary, opportunities as their other children but that they find this hard to achieve.

This workshop considers why this is so and explores strategies for helping a person with disability to have a good life as part of their community. These strategies are:

• having a positive vision for the future
• working not just for community presence but also community participation and relationships and
• assisting people to develop and sustain positive roles in their community by ‘looking the part’ and ‘acting the part’.

With NSW Government policy changing to enable people with disability and their families to have more control over their lives, now is a great time to be inspired!

• Flier

Resourcing Families is an initiative of Family Advocacy NSW