Newsletter - 16 December: Disability Connect Christmas Newsletter- Success in School for Learning Challenges, Brain Injury and AI Workshops; Guides to Summer Events; Merry Christmas


	View in browser

Disability Connect Newsletter

16 December 2024

It's that time of year again! As we are heading towards the holiday season, we wanted to thank you for your support throughout the year.

From the team at Disability Connect, we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We hope you and your family have a bright, joyous, safe and relaxing holiday season that is filled with love and hope.

An image of two beach chairs at the beach on a sunny day with golden sand, clear blue waters and blue sky with white clouds

Disability Connect Christmas Closure

Disability Connect will be closed for the Christmas break from Wednesday 18th December at 12pm and we will reopen on Monday 13th January at 8:30am.

Disability Connect Support Groups

Zoom Parents Support Group - Every Monday 7-8pm
If you have children going through changes, are stuck for things to do this summer, seeking advice or support for parenting, starting or leaving school and anything in-between the Zoom Support Group is for you! Robyn would love to meet and chat about anything that is important to you. There is one last support group for the year on Monday 23 December 2024. The zoom parent support group will restart on Monday 13 January 2025.
Parent Support Group - new dates for 2025 coming soon
Chinese Support Group - new dates for 2025 coming soon

For more Disability Support Groups click here

Disability Connect Seminars and Workshops

Seminar details and dates for 2025 coming soon

Spreading Christmas Cheer to Disability Connect Friends and Whānau!

Storytime with Indi

Come join Indi on his YouTube channel for some festive fun.

“Hi My name is Indika. I have autism. My most favorite things to do are reading, narrating stories and singing. I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas with my story, ‘Santa visits the Green Green Forest’. This story is from my YouTube channel called ‘Storytime with Indi’. Click the link here

Christmas Gift Guide 2024

Auckland Down Syndrome Association

Auckland Down Syndrome Association have compiled a 2024 Christmas gift guide with gifting options that support the disability community in New Zealand.

Click here for a copy of their Christmas Gift Guide.

Community Courses, Seminars and Workshops

10-week Brain Injury Peer Support Programme

Making Headway is a 10-week Facilitated Peer Support Programme where individuals with brain injuries share lived experiences, connect, and grow together. The programme will enable participants to:

Build meaningful, supportive relationships.
Develop skills to navigate life with a brain injury.
Discover ways to engage in community opportunities.

Registrations are open now for Term 1, 2025. The programme is delivered at various locations across Auckland.

Click here for the flyer, or visit the website for more information.

AI Training & Workshops

Christmas Discount offer

My Life My Voice are excited to announce that their online AI Training and Workshops are now open to the general public! This is your chance to learn how AI can empower you while enjoying a special Christmas discount.

Why Join?
The training sessions are designed to help you:

Boost productivity and simplify your daily life with AI tools like ChatGPT.
Make work and home more accessible using smart technology.
Learn safe and effective ways to harness AI’s power.

Special Offer:
To celebrate the launch, My Life My Voice are offering 20% off all trainings until 25th December with the code CHRISTMAS20

First training: $100 (before discount)
Any additional trainings: 25% off the standard price

Click here for more information or to register.

Success in School

Auckland Down Syndrome Association

Registrations are now open for the Auckland Down Syndrome Association Success in School workshop on 3 & 4 March 2025.

This is a 2 day workshop for educators (and whānau) of children with Down Syndrome and other learning challenges.

Please spread the word to all educators - teachers, learning support workers, SENCO's, Outreach teachers, Ministry staff, parents, grandparents, carers! Full details including course registration, timetable, and presenter list can be found here.

Click here for the event flyer.

If you would like more information on the course content, please contact Paula (clo@adsa.org.nz)

Community Events & Notices

Your guide to festive fun, events, and summer highlights

Looking for something fun to do over the school holidays? Discover a huge range of free events and activities to keep the kids entertained this summer:

OurAuckland

Auckland Council Kids Crew - School holiday events

Auckland for Kids

Auckland Libraries: Events

Firstport - Accessible Places

Parks that are easy for everyone to get around

Auckland Council’s FREE Music in Parks is back in 2025!

From January to April, soak up the sun with live music from some of the best talent Tāmaki Makaurau has to offer.

There will be wheelchair friendly portaloos at every event, clear signage and the Gig Buddies team is intending to have a chillout zone at every event, with shade, beanbags, fidget toys, earmuffs and balls (for HoH and deaf people to be able to feel the bass vibrations) available for those who need them.

To find out more, check out the website here. Follow their Facebook page to get the latest updates and ways to make the most of each event.

Gig Buddies

Gig Buddies is an initiative of Spectrum Care, that provides opportunities for social connection through live events.

For people living with a disability, going to a gig or event comes with additional challenges to overcome. Gig Buddies will match people up with a volunteer who shares the same interests and passions, so they can go to events they both enjoy, together.

Visit their website here for more information.

Kitten Therapy

Hannah runs a personal kitten rescue in her free time. She is currently offering kitten therapy sessions which provide a calming and positive experience where participants interact with friendly, socialized kittens in a safe, supervised environment. These sessions promote relaxation, stress relief, and emotional well-being, especially for those in the disability sector.

Sessions are usually run in 30minute increments with a donation which the family is comfortable with.

Children aged 6+ only with adult supervision and guidance.

Contact Hannah on 027 202 0368 or Instagram @kittycatwap for more information. Instagram contact is preferred.

Show Your Ability 2025

New Zealand's Premier Annual Disability Equipment Show

Free entry to all visitors.

On display are all kids of equipment for disabled people and older persons care equipment.

When: Monday, 10 March 2025

Time: 9am - 3pm

Where: Eventfinda Stadium, 17 Silverfield, Wairau Valley, Auckland

Click here for a copy of the event flyer.

Join IHC's Easy Read Advisory Group

IHC New Zealand is looking for 4-6 people with

intellectual disability
use services from the IHC Group (like IDEA Services and Choices NZ)
have access to the internet and a computer / table for a video call
be a member of the IHC library

to be part of an Easy Read Advisory Group. The group will help decide what information needs to be in Easy Read and work to make it better for people with intellectual disablity.

Click here for more information.

Wheelchair user at a desk, with a laptop smiling

Supermarket Accessibility Survey

All for All has created a survey to find out about the experiences of disabled people in New Zealand when they shop at supermarkets. The survey will ask disabled people, their families, friends, and carers about the difficulties they face, what makes shopping easier for them, what their supermarket is doing well and what could be improved. The information from this survey will help them better understand your needs and help them design future improvements to make shopping more accessible for everyone.

Anyone who completes the survey can enter draw to win a voucher.

If an online survey is not accessible to you, please contact Rebecca McDonald at rebecca@allisforall.com or 0210302863 to discuss how they can support you to take part.

The survey will be open until at least Friday 20 December.

State of Caring - Carers, have your say

More than a million New Zealanders care for family members / whānau who are unwell, frail, or have a health condition or disability. Yet family carers often feel invisible, taken for granted in their role. If this sounds like you, and you’d like to add your voice, Carers NZ would like to hear from you, through our State of Caring survey. Your input will help us understand how carers are doing, how you can be better supported, and guide advocacy efforts for better outcomes.

We would love to hear from as many of you as possible, to build a better picture of how caring affects different people. The anonymised results of this survey will be published later this year.

Participants who provide contact details can enter a draw to win vouchers. To find out more or take part, click on the link State of Caring survey

Please note that this survey takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.

Are funding changes affecting you and your family?

Our friends at Carers NZ would like to hear from people and family carers about whether funding changes have affected your health/disability supports. If you or someone you assist has recently had a new needs assessment or review, please complete our short survey - have your supports increased, decreased, or stayed the same? If supports have decreased, what was the reason, and are they meeting your needs? Having this picture is important right now. Thanks for giving input – we’ll be sharing what we learn by the end of the month. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GYYCHVZ

Your voice matters!

Make your voices heard by signing both of the petitions below:

Carers NZ Petition - Recognise and protect New Zealand’s family, whānau and āiga carers

To have your say, you can also write to your local MP or email us at admin@disabilityconnect.org.nz

Great information on our website!

Thermomix® to Support Disability and Carers – Zoom Information Session - 19 December 8pm

I am looking forward to showing you the amazing Thermomix®! Find out what it is, what it can do and how easy it is to use. Most importantly, how it can help you in your daily life, whether you are caring for somebody with special needs or you are facing your own health or mobility challenges. Learn about the functions and modes that can save you time, money and energy in the kitchen. See how easy it is to plan meals and even order your groceries from one place. More information about Thermomix® and future events can be found on my Facebook page at Mix and Save – Rebecca Lester Thermomix Consultant Rebecca Lester 027 226 1067

Book here for Zoom Thursday 19 December at 8pm:

https://tinyurl.com/2frnk4b3

We are available Monday-Friday 9am-4.30pm

admin@disabilityconnect.org.nz

Phone 09 636 0351

We are here to help you with the best information, advice and support for living the best life possible.

Disability Connect can now receive online donations via credit card. We appreciate any donation from you!

Donate now

Disability Connect

3b Olive Road, Penrose, Auckland
New Zealand

You received this email from Disability Connect because you signed up on our website or have attended one of our events.

If someone has forwarded this email to you, please do not unsubscribe. This link will unsubscribe the original email recipient from the Disability Connect mailing list.

Unsubscribe