the magic of travel
T
ravel can be an amazing
experience for people
with disability and their
families, and the NDIS has a role
to play, writes Simon Crethar
from Aspire Supported Holidays.
sport, leisure
and travel
mindset and free ourselves from the
stresses and strains of everyday life. that ‘support’ costs – the professional
carers who support our travellers
In my experience, many people
Our extensive experience shows
with disabilities (and their families) – make up 50-65% of the cost of
don’t think that travel is a viable a holiday. By viewing an assisted
options for them, that it’s beyond holiday as genuine respite, and
them. After all, the occasional group- drawing on funds from the relevant
us, it’s simple. We just have to. It’s an home outing eases the stresses and NDIS core-support cluster, the ‘gap’
urge. Those itchy feet get the better strains, doesn’t it? Shouldn’t we just payable by a travelling client can be
of us and we’re off to do something settle for that? Well, actually, no. And surprisingly small – cheaper, often,
new, to break the routine of life. That surely respite, as we know it, is more than the cost of traditional respite.
combination of rest, indulgence, affordable than a proper holiday,
escape and excitement broadens right? Again, no. We see travel, of supported holiday types –
the mind. Home is boring, and most taking a holiday, as 21st-century international, domestic, cruising,
of our problems are local. Travel respite. Not just for people with short breaks, longer journeys,
helps us put some distance between mobility issues and disabilities, but you name it. The one thing that is
ourselves and the everyday. for the community more broadly. common to all of them is that our
travellers challenge themselves,
Why do we travel? For most of
The wonder of travel is change
It’s not my position that the NDIS
We take people on a range
– change from our routines, seeing should pay for someone’s holiday, learn, expand their perspective,
new places, trying new things, rather the ‘reasonable and necessary’ reconnect with themselves and make
meeting new people. By changing modifications required to make a new friends, have an adventure,
our surroundings, we can change our holiday possible: the care and support. escape, relax and rejuvenate.
Our assisted holidays create
extraordinary experiences like
taking wheelchair-bound travellers
swimming with dolphins in Bali,
or riding an elephant in Thailand,
even simply swimming in the ocean
for the first time in more than 20
years – an act that so many of us
take for granted. When we travel
domestically, we’re often taking
people to places that are significant
in their family history.
The NDIS provides for so many
transformative improvements to
people’s lives. The opportunity we’ve
found to access funding to provide
support for an assisted holiday, opens
up a world of experiences to enrich
them in ‘reasonable and necessary’
ways.
linkonline.com.au
sport, leisure & travel
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