Summer Plans for People With Disabilities

Long days, warm nights, and a world of opportunity! Summer days of poolside fun and sunshine bliss are all too wonderful. For people with disabilities, making sure that activities are accessible and inclusive is a must. These are some of Australia’s best summer activities for people with disabilities:

OzChild Camps

Suitable for children and young people aged between 6 and 25, OzChild runs awesome recreational camps that are bursting with fun, accessible needs-matched activities. From discos and movie nights to excursions and raft building, there’s nothing that OzChild doesn’t do! Previous camps have been held at the Briars Camp in Mount Martha, Urban Camp in Parkville, and Camp Manyung in Mount Eliza, with Koorie camps also on offer for Aboriginal children. OzChild camps are a great opportunity to connect with other young people and build fantastic friendships. Talk about a summer highlight!

Cahoots

Still on the camp bend, Cahoots offers a fantastic all abilities metro camp for kids between the ages of 5 and 17 who require a 1:2 or 1:3 care ratio. Overnight and weekend camps are all held within the Perth metro area, while school holiday camps can be held in the Perth metro area, regional areas of WA, or interstate. Cahoots camps work on confidence and friendship building, communication skill development, and fun! They’re even NDIS funded, which is pretty awesome! If camps aren’t your thing, Cahoots also runs a social rec club, as well as a bunch of other cool events.

Aquatic Participation Fun Day

Swimming Queensland offers awesome Aquatic Participation Fun Day activities to people with disabilities, free of charge! These events are open to children and adults with disabilities, promoting aquatic skill development and water-safe fun. The programs include a bunch of awesome water-based activities including a balance station, breathing/bubbling station, buoyancy station, submersion station, and mobility station. They’re a great way to dip your toes in the waters of ocean and pool safety.

Belconnen Community Service Craft Club

Fancy getting out of the heat and enjoying something a little lower key? Belconnen Community Service Craft Clubs are a fantastic opportunity to work on honing a new skill in air-conditioned comfort! The program is tailored to suit people with mild to moderate levels of disability and is all about promoting creativity. If crafting isn’t quite for you, never fear! Belconnen Community Service has plenty more on offer. From sports and recreation to cooking, painting, acting, and more, there’s bound to be something that tickles your fancy!

People Outdoors Camps

With a wide range of disability-inclusive and accessible recreation activities available, People Outdoors offers plenty of programs, from single day events to week-long residential camps. Working with families to meet the needs of each individual camper, People Outdoors programs can be NDIS or DHHS funded are a fantastic way to get outside and enjoy some fun in the sun!

Riding for the Disabled

Riding for the Disabled is a brilliant organisation, operating centres all over Victoria to help people with disabilities develop equestrian skills, learning how to ride, compete and enjoy horse riding alongside their peers. Animals are pretty incredible, and horse riding is an interesting, exciting way to get outside and enjoy the summer months. Riding for the Disabled is a definite winner!

Disability Sports Australia

Nothing says Australian summer fun quite like a good game of sport! At Disability Sports Australia, people of all abilities are welcome and there are plenty of athletic opportunities to choose from. Whether you’re a budding archer, surfer, mountain biker, footballer, lawn bowler, or something else entirely, there’s bound to be something for you. Way to get fit and make some new sport-loving friends!

Accessible Beaches in South Australia

Beaches are a big part of Aussie culture, especially in the summertime. While beach access can sometimes be difficult for people with physical disabilities and mobility impairments, more and more Australian beaches are beginning to invest in ramps, beach wheelchairs and mats that make inclusion much easier. In South Australia, some of the best beaches to visit are:

• Brighton, where ramps are aplenty
• Port Hughes caravan park, where a beach wheelchair is available for hire
• Christies beach, where there are cement boat ramps leading into the water
• Moonta Bay, where wheelchair hire is available
• Seacliff, where an accessible mat is rolled out on weekends and public holidays from 1 pm to 5 pm.

National Zoo of Australia

The National Zoo of Australia in Canberra is a great disability-friendly destination, especially in the summer when the sun is shining and the animals are warm enough to say hello! With plenty of accessible toilets, free entry for carers and companion card holders, and wheelchair accessible paths throughout, the zoo is a fantastic spot to learn about interesting and endangered animals, or even just stop for lunch! It’s a definite summer must-do!

Werribee Open Range Zoo

A fantastic Victorian attraction, Werribee Open Range Zoo is where animals live wild! Wandering through the zoo’s wide plains and mingling with each other, guests can take a safari bus tour and get up close and personal with some of this world’s most magnificent creatures. With accessible toilets located throughout the park, wheelchair hire on offer, and space for wheelchairs on many of the zoo’s safari vehicles, this is a great disability inclusive day out!

Whether you’re enjoying time in the sunshine or sheltering in air-conditioned comfort, Australia has plenty on offer when it comes to accessible summer activities. The options are endless, there’s so much to do! Get to work on your best summer yet!