Wollongong clients test their mobility skills after dark
21 July 2009
Clients became more familiar with public transport in the local area.
Clients learnt practical skills like ordering from a menu when eating out.
Clients in the Illawarra region participated in a school holiday mobility excursion in the Wollongong area on 16 July.
The focus of this event involved participants working on their night mobility skills in the CBD of Wollongong, made even more challenging with the rain.
All involved had to plan their trip using the internet to work out their mode of transport and where to catch it from. They also made restaurant reservations in the Wollongong business area.
One client stated, "The planning of the activity was a great experience as I have never had the opportunity to independently organise their travel and choose and book a restaurant for dinner."
It was also a great opportunity for clients to make themselves more familiar with public transport in the local area, in particular, the new free shuttle bus running throughout the Wollongong area.
Once arriving in the Wollongong retail area, clients had to find destination points and stores that they might want to shop at when coming to Wollongong for a shopping trip.
Stores located included Myer, Redback music and other clothing and accessory stores throughout Wollongong Mall.
After the shopping journey, clients then made their way to their restaurant of choice to share a meal and chat about their night mobility and Thursday night shopping experience.
These events aim at getting clients to be more independent with their mobility at all times of day and provide them with an awareness and confidence to use different types of public transport to travel in busy complex areas.
It also allows clients to use practical skills such as planning and eating out, with activites such as ordering from a menu with other participants that may experience similar barriers in developing these skills.
One happy participant stated at the end of the night, "Not only do these events assist developing my mobility and living skills but also allows me to meet new friends that otherwise I would not have met."