Behind the scenes at Down Syndrome Victoria (DSV) we’ve been working tirelessly with partners and our community on several exciting initiatives that I am excited to share with you in this special update.
MyTime
MyTime is a peer support program offering socialisation, information and support for carers of children with disabilities. The Parenting Research Centre (PRC) has awarded Down Syndrome Victoria the MyTime contract for all of Victoria from 1 July this year. This opportunity will see DSV consolidate and expand our current MyTime program from 18 to more than 50 groups, allowing us to connect and offer support to more parents and caregivers across the state. Read more here.
Closing the gap – Authentic inclusion in Education for people with Down syndrome
Over the past 10 years there has been significant progress in relation to improved educational outcomes and increased participation of children with Down syndrome in mainstream primary schools. However, this does not always translate to secondary school. We are excited to partner with the Melbourne Research Institute to examine the various reasons for decline in mainstream secondary school participation. We anticipate that this research will aid the development of appropriate resources and strategies to increase the participation of students with Down syndrome in mainstream secondary schools. We look forward to providing our DSV community the opportunity to participate in this research over the coming 6-12 months.
Club21 is going regional
Thanks to a Department of Social Services ‘Strong and Resilient Communities’ grant, I’m thrilled to announce that DSV’s popular Club21 program will be expanding to the Ballarat, Geelong, Shepparton and Warrnambool regions progressively over the coming two years. This will include the trial of Club21 events that encourage friends, partners and families to participate, further providing opportunity for increased social, civic and economic participation in local communities. We are incredibly excited about expanding in person Club21 opportunities to compliment the successful online program, aligning with one of our key strategies to increase regional and rural opportunities, engagement and participation for adults with Down syndrome.
FitSkills
We also routinely hear about the importance of physical activity for our community, and many of you will be familiar with LaTrobe University’s exercise research via the FitSkills program, a 12-week community-based physical activity program for young people with a disability aged 13 to 30. The program matches a young person with disability with a peer mentor from the same locality and the pair exercise together at their local gym. Fitskills has received several awards since the initial research project and we’re excited to partner with Disability Sport & Recreation and LaTrobe University to secure 12 months funding from the State Government’s Access for All Abilities program, to translate the Fitskills research into action. We will be trialling the program over the coming 12 months with the intent to offer this program across Victoria in the future.
In addition to FitSkills we’ll be sharing details in the coming months about Get Active More Often, a new partnership with Sport Inclusion Australia to promote and further develop sports pathways and participation for people with Down syndrome.
State Disability Plan
The Victorian Government has launched the latest state disability plan: Inclusive Victoria 2022-2026. DSV played a crucial role through our Advisory Network providing both written and audio visual feedback during the development of the plan. The new plan recognises that Victorians with disability still face ableism and discrimination in all areas of life, and sets out actions the Government will take over the next four years to ensure our state is inclusive and accessible for all Victorians with disability. We’ll be including an overview of the plan and how it is relevant to our community in this month’s edition of DNews. Not a subscriber? You can sign up to receive DNews here.
Thank you to all our partners and supporters, without whom the above projects and endeavours would not be possible. I extend that thank you to the DSV team, volunteers and our community as we continue to walk together to create a society where people with Down syndrome are valued, reach their potential and are equal in every aspect of life.
If you have any questions or would like additional information please contact me on 9486 9600 or email info@dsav.asn.au (Mon-Thurs).
Until next time,
Daniel Payne, CEO