Disabilities make lives challenging for people in numerous ways. Research shows that 1 out of 6 Australians are living with a disability, which means 18% of the population is facing challenges in their daily lives. Disability day programs are designed to extend support for these people. The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is one of the best support programs worldwide that aims to help participants become independent.
NDIS participants receive a wide range of support from the government that enables them to lead better and healthier lives. We help our participants reach their highest potential by helping them find the right support according to their NDIS plan. Day programs are also a part of disability support that is needed by the participants to ensure a self-reliant and enjoyable life.
What are Day Programs?
Day programs help participants be a part of group activities. These group activities involve other participants with different types of disabilities and aim to help everyone achieve something with day programs. These activities are designed to improve general skills in the people. It can also be beneficial for you or your loved ones if they are looking to enhance their work-related skills. Day programs help participants socialize and become more comfortable with being in a group. A range of activities can be a part of day programs, and we design these activities for our participants efficiently.
There are several disability programs to help people with disabilities in Australia. All you need to do is find the most suitable disability support and start getting better with their help. Any intellectual and physical disability won’t be a problem once you get the right support for it. We have created this blog to help you explore the benefits of day programs and how they can make your life better in so many ways.
Benefits of Disability Day Programs
Here, you will learn in-depth about the following benefits of day programs.
- It helps in learning new skills
- Encourages community participation
- Improves positive communication
- Increases independence
1. Learning New Skills
There’s no age-appropriate way to learn new skills. You can start learning about anything at any age, and no one can stop you from doing that. Disability support is supposed to help you develop new interests and hobbies so you can be occupied. Disability services in Sydney are necessary if you want to get started with learning a new skill. Following are the skills that day programs help you learn.
Art and Music
Learning new art is always a good way to start your growth. It can help you become more creative and challenge you to think as creatively as possible. You can also find a new hobby related to it. It brings awareness and the ability to reconcile with your emotions. You can express it all with your art.
Similarly, music is also very beneficial for your motor and mental coordination. When you play music, your hands have to coordinate with your brain to generate a sound from the instrument. This can only happen when there’s coordination and focus. Learning music allows you to develop that focus and enhance your muscle strength.
Sensory Play
This support is recommended for children in the early stages of intervention as it builds new nerve connections in the brain and encourages problem-solving skills in them. However, people with autism can receive this support at any age. Many day programs have sensory rooms dedicated to this activity, and it helps in enhancing their understanding of the world.
Literacy
Day programs also help you in the development of literacy. It is needed if you want to be aware of your condition and other emotions around you. People with disabilities are often unaware of their surroundings, and enhancing their literacy can help them understand people better. This part of the program involves reading, writing, speaking, and listening to enhance the participant’s ability to communicate.
2. Encourages Community Participation
Community participation is essential for all ages. NDIS also funds assistance with community participation in NDIS core support. This service enables participants to get out of their comfort zone and meet new people. Socializing is an important part of life, and you cannot expect to stay at home all the time; it damages mental health, and you can become isolated. Community participation allows you to meet people with similar interests and make new friends. This also helps you identify new things about yourself that help you in your growth.
Fitness Classes
Many disability programs arrange fitness classes for participants to help them develop routine workouts appropriate for them. You can have indoor and outdoor workout routines while making new friends at the gym. Your physical movement helps you in managing your physical health, as well as your mental well-being.
Outdoor Activities
To make sure that participants get to enjoy time with other people, day programs arrange outdoor activities like picnics, visits to zoos, and visiting sports games or markets, etc. The purpose of these activities is to have participants be around a wider community and increase inclusivity. This helps in improving their social skills, and they can become more confident around people who are not known to them.
Group Trips
Disability day programs also arrange group trips for the participants so they can get more comfortable with each other. This can be a bigger challenge for you as compared to spending a few hours with a group of people. However, it is just as beneficial. Staying connected and living with like-minded people can boost your confidence.
3. Improves Positive Communication
Having positive communication skills can help you go a long way, regardless of your age. Whether you are a child or an adult, you need to learn how to positively interact with others. Day programs help you get the right training and practice to build positive relationships and interactions with others in a social setting.
Social Activities
Social activities are designed to help participants be in a smaller social setting. This is especially helpful if the participant is not confident enough to speak among a large group of people. These activities are planned to gather people of similar interests together. This helps them practice making eye contact with the other person and talking confidently about themselves.
Board Games
Day programs also plan a number of board games for the participants to promote health competition between them. It can enhance brain function and reduce stress. This also causes more laughter, which causes a healthy dopamine release. Different board games promote different types of communication among participants. Some might require them to play in teams, which also improves their teamwork.
Community Access Programs
Similar to social activities, community access programs also help participants to communicate in a social setting. It brings together a number of people with similar needs. It introduces new topics to discuss so they can socialize and gain confidence in representing themselves in front of other people.
4. Promotes Independence
The primary goal of all disability services in Sydney is to enhance independence for the participants. We aim to help them become self-reliant and confident to achieve success. All the support funded in disability programs is designed to help participants grow in every aspect of life; hence, the last but the most important thing day programs do for you is promote independence.
Supported Independent Living
Many disability programs offer support independent living (SIL) for the participants. This is an accommodation that is specially designed for people with special needs. These houses are not rented to anyone. Participants from a disability support program can get access to these houses, but there aren’t enough. The need to support independent living is increasing, and it is appropriate for participants to live in a suitable setting. However, you need to find a service provider that can get you an SIL. By moving into your own space, you can unlock your potential and become more independent.
Using Public Transport
We know that it is difficult for some participants to use public transport, depending on their condition’s severity. However, there are also some participants who are just afraid to use public transport and simply don’t have the confidence to get on one. Day programs help those participants find the confidence to use public transport alone. If a participant still can’t use public transport, NDIS funds transport in their NDIS core support so they can use it to fulfill their goals.
Learning House Chores
Doing house chores can easily keep you occupied for a good amount of time. This is a basic skill that everyone should know from cooking, cleaning, baking, gardening, etc. Everything comes under house chores. While NDIS funds support for you to have a support worker assist you in these activities, you should try to learn them, too. Learning house chores will enhance your independence and bring you closer to achieving your goals.
The most important thing day programs and NDIS do for the participants is give them the confidence and authority to make their own decisions. Decision-making can help them become independent, and they gain confidence when they see their decisions are working well in their favor. They are the only ones who can decide which community they want to be a part of and what skills they want to learn. Support workers are only there to help them achieve their goals; they can’t make decisions on their behalf.
Participants are responsible for making decisions for themselves, and it gives them the opportunity to choose the best option. It is highly likely that they might make the wrong decisions at the start, but that is all a part of their learning. As service providers, it is our job to provide them with the best available options and push them to make a decision for themselves. Once they learn about their skills and abilities, they can make better and more effective choices, but until that happens, day programs and NDIS service providers are supposed to help participants live their best lives and move closer to their goals.
We hope that this blog answered all your questions about disability day programs. We believe that everyone deserves to live a fulfilled life, and our goal is to make that possible for our participants as well.
