By Jess DrummondWednesday 18 Dec 2024ChristmasReading Time: 2 minutes
The Christmas season can be overwhelming.
Shopping centres, restaurants, and public spaces become crowded and noisy as people do their shopping and celebrate with family and friends.
Despite the abundance of people, some in our community experience heightened feelings of loneliness and social isolation at this time of year.
Research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has found that around one in five (19 per cent) people with disabilities aged 15 to 64 experience social isolation – that’s double the rate of people without disabilities (9.5 per cent). In the same age group, almost three in 10 (29 per cent) people with disabilities have reported feeling lonely.
A local disability inclusion advocate says while Christmas is a time of joy, connection, and celebration, the crowds and overwhelm of the festive season can create additional barriers for people with disabilities.
Dane Cross, Chief Operating Officer at Sporting Wheelies has told 96five’s Jess Drummond, patience and customer service can go “out the window” in this busy period.
“There may be some people with communication difficulties that require the use of a communication device; people with disabilities sometimes need that extra bit of time, patience, and understanding,” Dane said.
Dane says while there are some existing physical barriers for people with disabilities in the community, he particularly wants to highlight the importance of a welcoming attitude towards those with additional needs at this time of year.
“The other [important consideration] is having information available to your customers, whether that is any particular quiet times that you might be holding within your store [or] information about your physical access.
“Providing information about what you do have is really key to empowering people in making a decision as to whether they can attend or not.”
Dane says while Sporting Wheelies exists not only as a sporting organisation, but a space to create connection.
“We’re providing adaptive sports programs and using sport as a tool to engage people – to get them out of their homes, to get them active, to get them healthy.
“What comes as part of that engagement is the social interaction. It’s the reduction of isolation, it’s the sense of community, it’s the sense of belonging where the benefits shine through.”
“We’ve got a range of programs for a range of different disability types, but we also welcome people without disability. Come down, check it out!”
Dane says all are welcome at their Milton clubhouse.
Listen to the full interview in the player above.
Feature Image: Dane Cross (left) speaking at an event. Source: Supplied by Sporting Wheelies and used with permission.