Adaptive Sport, Recreation and Performing Arts

I have registered and looking forward to Walk to Defeat MND Gold Coast at Hollindale Park, Main Beach, on 10 March 2024. The goal is to increase awareness about the impacts of Motor Neuron Disease.

https://www.mndaq.org.au/my-fundraising/2072/grant-cunningham

What is MND?
MND (or motor neurone disease) is a progressive disease that affects the nerves (motor neurones) that send messages between the brain and the muscles. In particular, this impacts the muscles that help you to move, speak, swallow and breathe.

Although my condition is Heredity Spastic Paraplegies HSP, it is also non curable and progressive. My brain signals to my legs have been impacted and I am now not able to walk without walking aids, there is no way I could walk this 4km event, so I will me using my Wheelchair.

Any funding raised in this space help with research and help individuals and families living with Neuro Muscular Conditions. I have a modest target of $300 if possible, please donate what you can.

Grant Cunningham I am making a difference for Queenslanders living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) by participating in the Walk to Defeat MND 2024. MND takes a person’s ability to move, speak, swallow and eventually breathe. All donations, big and small, are important. So, let's work together to reach my goal of ...

Congratulations👍 what a fantastic achievement 😊

We're absolutely over the moon to share that two of our Variety fundraisers nominated for the 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards Queensland have advanced to the semi-finals! 🎉

Meet Reegan Pellowe (pictured left) and Janvi Makanjee (pictured right). Both are outstanding individuals who have made a huge impact for kids in need - Reegan through his Containers for Change fundraising efforts and Janvi as a former Miss World Australia participant.

Together, their combined total impact exceeds $56,000 raised for Variety kids in need.

This photo captures a special moment when Gold Coast Rollerblaze Wheelchair Basketball hosted a game day in recognition of Reegan's fundraising efforts to secure new basketball hoops for their junior team.

Anticipation is building as we await the award results on April 19th. Join us in cheering them on and celebrating the extraordinary impact they have made in the lives of others. 👏

Get on down to this event 😊 Nick from Albatross Nippers is exactly what inclusion and adaptive programs should be about 😊👍

This is another great break through in the support for cptsd and ptsd.

Meet Pumpkin, an Assistance Dog who has made a world of difference in the life of his owner Rie. Pumpkin is specially trained to support Rie with her C-PTSD, providing a sense of security, companionship, and emotional support and can help with things such as

🐕‍🦺 Deep Pressure Therapy
🐕‍🦺 Self Harm Interruptions
🐕‍🦺 Repetitive Motion Interruptions
🐕‍🦺 Crowd Control
🐕‍🦺 Guide to Exit
🐕‍🦺 Marking Blood Pressure/Heart rate changes
🐕‍🦺 Bracing for Dissociation episodes and blackouts
🐕‍🦺 And 'being my company as I am fearful of people and strangers'.

We think it's amazing how these highly trained dogs can help people with PTSD and C-PTSD to manage their symptoms and improve their overall quality of life, but we know that there are not many organisations offering Assistance Dogs for PTSD or C-PTSD which is why we were over the moon that Rie contacted us about her story with Pumpkin! With the help of the online training from Adolescent Dogs - Award Winning Dog Training Rie trained Pumpkin herself, and you can read all about their journey together in our case study here: https://www.ptsduk.org/assistance-dog-ptsd-pumpkin/

If you want to know more about how Assistance Dogs can help people with PTSD and C-PTSD you can read more in the guest blog from the team at Adolescent Dogs here: https://www.ptsduk.org/training-assistance-dogs-for-ptsd/

or on our website here: https://www.ptsduk.org/how-dogs-can-help-people-with-ptsd/

and you can also read about how Cinnamon is trained to support someone with C-PTSD here: https://www.ptsduk.org/assistance-dog-cptsd-cinnamon/

and how Dobbie can help his owner with PTSD here: https://www.ptsduk.org/assistance-dog-ptsd-dobbie/
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If you would like to learn more about the online Assistance Dog Training Program with Adolescent Dogs you can visit their website: https://www.adolescentdogsacademy.co.uk/p/assistancedogs?affcode=750731_x_lo9nrc

(PLEASE NOTE as an affiliate charity, Adolescent Dogs make a donation of 20% of the course fees to PTSD UK for everyone who signs up to their owner training course through this link)

This is really good to see the awareness about Tourette’s syndrome out there is such a big way 😊

What an amazing awareness campaign by our friends Tourette Association of America lighting up Times Square. It is believed that 50% of people with TS or another Tic Disorder are going undiagnosed, getting these messages to families in need of answers, treatment and support is so important.

Wow what a fabulous achievement ⭐️ it’s so good to see the Arts and entertainment industries being accessible and inclusive😊 and how wonderful is the dog 👍

Aria Mia Loberti made history at the recent Golden Globes as the first legally blind actress to grace the red carpet with her guide dog. Her role in the acclaimed series “All the Light We Cannot See” was acknowledged, emphasizing the significance of genuine representation in entertainment. Loberti expressed the honor of representing her community and culture, stressing the unprecedented nature of authentic portrayal on such a grand scale in film. Her impactful presence signifies the importance of inclusion and authenticity in the entertainment industry, paving the way for greater diversity.❤️🦮👏🏻

The ability to focus ( although we can hyper focus at certain times on things that really interest us , ( again not by choice , just how our brain wiring works) ADHD is so much more than the stereotype , especially for females , as we can present differently to males.

Do you experience a lot of these?

ADHD is so much less reductive than most people realize. Expanding the view of it to actually reflect the internal experience of those of us with lived experience is crucial to getting proper support & accommodations to folks. AND for reducing shame.

PS - I know I’m going to get a bunch of comments telling me I’m talking about audhd or autism. I’m open to learning one day I’m wrong but I’ve done extensive research, had many convos with adhd, autistic and audhd folks, looked heavily into autism for myself, and I continue to come to the conclusion that 1) these can be adhd specific traits and it’s important to look at the internal experience of the WHY it is happening and 2) ultimately these labels are just constructs that are always changing so of course it’s impossible to neatly place humans into diagnostic boxes.

Wow what pure strength 😊⭐️ 💪

The only way is up Pushonkj 🦽 : RGK Elite #RGK #RGKWheelchairs #Fitness

This is so good another inclusion opportunity with QLD cricket .
Congratulations to the players and everyone involved 😊👍👏

Squad Announcement 🔔

Good luck to all the players who have been selected in Queensland's Men's Deaf Squad, competing in this season's National Cricket Inclusion Championships in January.

Queensland Deaf Cricket