Kids+ are delighted to announce that the 2024 recipient of the Donna Shaw ‘Spirit of Kids+ Award’ is Stephen Jewson of Jan Juc SLSC.

Each year, Kids+ recognise a member or group in the community who has made a significant voluntary contribution on the foundation. For 2024, that is Stephen Jewson and the volunteers of the Jan Juc SLSC, who, each year, donate their time to support the Kids+ Surf Ed program.

Jewson, who has been part of the Jan Juc SLSC since 1989, has, alongside dedicated volunteers, been instrumental in bringing the Kids+ Surf Ed program to life, making positive impacts on the lives of children and young people with disabilities. The week-long Surf Ed program, which has been running for 8 years, offers an opportunity for children with disabilities to experience the beach, the ocean, time on a surfboard, and even a trip on a jet ski – activities they would typically not experience due to accessibility barriers.

The Kids+ Surf Ed program takes place in January at Fisherman’s Beach, Torquay, and is also supported by the teams at Torquay Angling Club, Torquay Marine Rescue Services, and Go Ride a Wave.

The Award is named after Donna Shaw who was a long-standing Kids+ Director and advocate for young people with disabilities.

Kids+ is excited to share that our first article about the Kids+ Parent Infant Program has been published in Frontiers in Pediatrics and can be freely accessed here.

The Kids+ Parent Infant Program was developed by Sarah Foley and Kelly Reynolds during their time at Kids+. The publication is co-authored by Sarah, Kelly, Kids+ Kids+ Research Coordinator Dr Anna Urbanowicz, and Dr Margaret Mayston. The Kids+ Parent Infant Program pioneered community-based development supports for families and their infants in Geelong and the Barwon Region, Victoria.

The article outlines the unique elements of the Kids+ Parent Infant Program, which includes a coordinated transition from hospital to home, and holistic support for infants who require developmental support. The article also includes directions for future program development and research.

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+ 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.

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.

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.