Kids+ are delighted to award the annual Donna Shaw ‘Spirit of Kids+ Award’ to Kim and Paul Johnson!

The Johnsons have been part of the Kids+ family for over 20 years, since their daughter Abby was 3 years of age. Kim and Paul were instrumental in sparking the original concept of Kids+, along with a small group of other families.

Kim was a Kids+ Board Director and has supported Kids+ to engage with a number of philanthropic partners, ensuring donors have a better and more informed understanding of disability and lived experience. A lifelong advocate, Kim has advocated within her local community for greater accessibility and inclusion. Kim has also volunteered her time making toys and resources that are shared with other Kids+ families.

For many years Paul has used his engineering skills to repair Kids+ and client equipment, and he regularly volunteers his time to keep our centre’s gardens and grounds looking great.

Kim and Paul have been unwavering supporters of Kids+ in so many ways over the past 20 years. We are grateful for their wonderful support, generosity and friendship.

Kids+ Snow Camp 2023. at Falls Snow resort. in partnership with Disabled Winter Sports.

The Surf Coast Trek is a fundraising challenge, offering the unique opportunity to walk 40km or 26km along the spectacular Victorian Surf Coast, taking in spectacular scenery in a supported, community-centric environment.

On February 18, 2023, Cameron Young, Geelong father of one year old twins Iggy & Vance, ran a solo marathon while pushing his son Iggy, raising $78,300 for Kids+

The Kids+ Ladies Lunch, which takes places on Grand Final Eve, is an inclusive celebration of community, bringing together women from across the region for an afternoon of food, drinks, and music, to connect and support Kids+

Our Kite Festival is designed to be a fully inclusive, accessible event, where people of all ages, stages, and abilities can come and fly a kite

Kids+ are delighted to provide an update on an ongoing research project which is funded by the Anthony Costa Foundation, Geelong Community Foundation and Percy Baxter Charitable Trust.

Kids+ was delighted to hear the news that Sarah Foley, one of the co-founders of Kids+, was awarded an OAM at the recent 2023 Australia Day honours. Sarah is the most deserving of recipients.

Sarah has made an outstanding contribution supporting families and young people across the Greater Geelong region, and to the field of paediatric physiotherapy in general. She has spent the vast majority of her career working with, and alongside, young people with cerebral palsy and their families.

Janine Nichols and Jenny Flanders are awarded the Donna Shaw ‘Spirit of Kids+’ Award for 2022 at the Kids+ End of Year Event in Geelong in December 2022.

Changemakers Kids+ Conference 2023 is an opportunity for people within the disability community to come together, share ideas, make connections, and build collaborative networks to drive social change at RACV Torquay Victoria Australia.

Sunday 2nd October 2022 saw the sky at Rippleside Park painted in colour when over 1,000 members of the community came together to celebrate inclusivity.

The Regional Parenting Service collates parenting activities in the Geelong and Barwon South Western Region.

We all want to achieve greatness within ourselves, make a difference in our communities, and leave a legacy.

But, what if the person in the job cannot communicate verbally to their colleagues? That’s when AAC comes in.

Kids+ is delighted to announce that the 2021 recipient of the Donna Shaw Spirit of Kids+ Award is Emma Moore. Emma and her family have been a coming to Kids+ since their son Albie was 4 months old – he is now 6.

When you start exploring the world of AAC especially as a kid, it can be overwhelming as there are so many options to choose from. Take time to try various devices and programs, don’t be in a rush to choose which one is right for you. It is a huge investment, a bit like buying a car. It has to fit your lifestyle and personal preferences.

Most of us love to socialise with people, especially family and friends. We love to go to parties, whether it be a wedding, school reunion or to celebrate a birthday. At a social gathering, there’s one common thing that everyone does, which is communication. Without that, there’s no meaning or purpose to the event. So, communication between people is an essential element.Some people will have one question: how does a non-verbal person share their thoughts and opinions when attending such an event?

Written by Bianca - mum of Tom

There’s a lot of power in the act of choosing.

I want to support Tom to keep choosing what he wants. I can see his personality and individuality and he’s growing up and changing. Infantilisation is treating a disabled person like a child. Tom is a child but he’s at thirteen it’s important that I’m giving him choices that are age appropriate. Since we’ve embraced choice Tom’s begun using a communication device. At first he used it to describe things, crunchy biscuits, shirt dirty or the weather cold. Now Tom’s communicating what he wants. Pack up now, go to the park in the car. Already Tom’s music recommendations on his device have changed. There’s been a shift from The Wiggles to songs from the Beastie Boys! Tom’s now starting to wear all black.

Choice is transformational!

One of the greatest things we do every day is communicate with one another to connect. It is an important and necessary part of life. Without the existence of communication between humans, I am not sure how the world would cope and I wonder if people would get along. Imagine if you couldn’t communicate verbally. How would you feel? This is the reality for many non-verbal people who have a voice inside but cannot output their message.