Wheelie Kids

Beyond Disability Wheelie Kids mission is to provide an inhome interactive communication self-help program for physically disabled wheelchair school children with local partnerships, volunteers and recycled equipment

Beyond Disability has a clear evaluation process, aims and objectives.

Our local award-winning self-help programme directly addresses a need for physically disabled and disadvantaged wheelchair school children in their local communities.

Subject to approval which includes assessments as needed, we provide a laptop, multifunction printer and subsidised internet access, allowing up to 500 Mb of downloads a month. Our programme does not permit downloading music, playing games on line except as approved, or downloading/uploading large files of any type.

We partner with GreenPC, TADVic, TADAust Connect, ComTECH, Anglicare, Brotherhood of St Lawrence, Rotary and others as needed.

South East Water Ltd was the first Corporate to donate P4 laptops which are an invaluable donation for supporting Wheelie Kids. We also use the older laptops as ?voices? for people with advanced Motor Neurone disease who can no longer speak.

Testimonial:

Tom has been with Beyond Disability since 1997, started aged 5. Tom has a neuro muscular problem.

Tom says: "Beyond disability lets me test myself. I want to be an achiever and go to uni to study media. My Beyond Disability voice activated laptop lets me test my capabilities online and for school." Tom's mum, Lena said: "The opportunity to experience the Internet in a small way, is a boon to Tom. Being the parents of a child with a disability can be an emotional, physical and financial challenge, but Beyond Disability has enabled our son to have access to a computer to build important computer skills that will serve him throughout life. Being virtually housebound, Beyond Disability allows Tom to communicate and explore a much broader world than that which normally would be accessible to him.

"Beyond Disability is unique as the only successful interactive communication program of its kind and we feel it provides an important service to its members, those in the community with special needs."

Lena also uses the limited Internet access and e-mail to research Tom's disability and has found vital information from supporting mothers' groups in the States.