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So far Lucy Garcia has created 40 blog entries.

You’re invited to our What Ability Day at Cbus Super Stadium

Hey Gold Coast! It’s official…our next What Ability Day is coming to you!
You’re invited to hang out with us and your favourite local athletes at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday, 4 November.

What Ability Days help us raise awareness for the sector, provide an opportunity for our athletes to get involved and create lifelong memories!

There are so many fun ways to spend your time at our What Ability Day. You can kick a ball around with our What Ability athletes or kick back and hang out with friends at our chill out zone.

Starting at 11am and concluding at 1pm, our What Ability Day at Cbus Super Stadium is a free and disability inclusive event!

There are only 200 spots available, so sign up here to secure your spot

By |2023-09-05T05:08:31+00:00September 4, 2023|News|0 Comments

What Ability joins forces with the NRL

– August 2023 –

What Ability and the National Rugby League (NRL) will unite to put happiness first for people living with disabilities across the country.

Together they’re empowering communities on and off the field to support all abilities and athletes while also raising awareness for the disability sector. The partnership will focus on Athlete Pathway programs, disability education and celebrating the stories of support workers who also play rugby league.

What Ability Founder Steve Dresler said: “We are so excited to partner with the NRL to showcase the power of sport in breaking down barriers regarding disability in our community. It truly is a game for everyone, and we couldn’t be prouder to have our participants watching their support workers play this great game!”

“Across the board from NRL and NRLW professional athletes to under 20s, we have employed over 300 players as What Ability support workers in Australia. This is another reason we couldn’t be prouder to partner with the NRL and work together on building an inclusive community.”

Andrew Every, Executive General Manager Strategy, Transformation and Technology at NRL said “Our partnership with What Ability signifies an exciting milestone for us as we grow the number of people living with a disability to play, support and access the game across all formats.”

What Ability Athlete Manager and ex-NRL player, Keegan Hipgave is thrilled about the partnership, commenting on the alignment and crossover between the organisations, “To have so many NRL and NRLW players on board who share our vision, makes this partnership so special.”

“Players such as Tom, Jake and Ben Trbojevic, Junior Tatola, Jaime Chapman and Olivia Kernick, to name a few, have embraced What Ability and are helping us break down those barriers. We can’t wait to see what opportunities and awareness this partnership brings this year.”

To follow this partnership, check out What Ability (@whatability) and NRL (@nrl) on socials or if you’re looking for disability support, head to https://whatability.com.au/services/need-support/ to find out more.

By |2023-09-01T01:27:41+00:00August 31, 2023|News, NSW, state based|0 Comments

You’re invited to our What Ability Day at WA Athletics Stadium!

Hey Perth! It’s official…our next What Ability Day is coming to you!

You’re invited to hang out with us and your favourite local athletes at WA Athletics Stadium on Thursday, 5 October.

What Ability Days help us raise awareness for the sector, provide an opportunity for our athletes to get involved and create lifelong memories!

There are so many fun ways to spend your time at our What Ability Day. You can kick a ball around with our What Ability athletes or kick back and hang out with friends at our chill out zone.

Starting at 11am and concluding at 1pm, our What Ability Day at WA  Athletics Stadium is a free and disability inclusive event!

There are only 200 spots available, so sign up here to secure your spot

By |2023-08-31T00:24:18+00:00August 28, 2023|News, state based, WA|0 Comments

What Ability introduces dynamic new CEO and COO team

What Ability is excited to announce the appointment of Jared Chapman as the Chief Executive Officer and Nick Carroll as the Chief Operations Officer. 

Jared comes to us from within our own ranks, bringing over 10 years’ experience in the digital space, including his role as our COO, and as The Fork’s Director of Sales and Operations and Managing Director. 

During his time as our COO, he was instrumental in advancing processes and implementing policies to promote organisational culture, and he is known throughout the organisation for having a deep understanding of What Ability’s culture, values and goals. 

Jared has described his time as COO over the last 18 months as incredible, he said “the passion and dedication of the team have led to some amazing achievements. Expanding our Sydney service to 3 new states and the incredible support and feedback we have received from families is definitely a highlight.”

As What Ability continues to grow and become increasingly recognisable within the disability sector, Jared’s new role as CEO will have a great focus on working together with our corporate and community partners to create an inclusive world. 

Jared has stated he is “genuinely honoured to be offered the role as CEO of an organisation that takes supporting people with disability so seriously.”

“The passion of the team and the potential within the space are both opportunities as What Ability continues to mature.” 

Prior to joining What Ability, Jared and Nick co-founded Fit Finder Australia, a website and app that helps people get motivated and feel great by connecting them to personal trainers in their area. 

The two have a strong working dynamic and a shared vision, and have expressed their excitement about taking What Ability to the next level. 

Nick has stated “I think [Jared and I] have a complimentary skill set and a similar way of thinking. I’ve worked best as a safety net, allowing Jared to think as big as he likes, safe in the knowledge I won’t allow things to go off track or get distracted from our core mission.”  

Nick, who also has over 10 years’ experience, has worked as a Director of Analytics for Viator, a TripAdvisor company, and head of Ecommerce and Analytics for SumoSalad. Throughout his impressive background, he has led strategic teams of 15 across 7 countries with a market cap of $2bn. 

The new What Ability COO has stated he is impressed with the organisational culture and is looking forward to bringing his knowledge and skills to elevate What Ability. 

“What Ability is a great company that is truly mission driven which is incredibly rare to find. The team is really enthusiastic and their passion for the work and mission flows through in everything they do. This culture is really uplifting and drives everyone to bring their best,” Nick said. 

Both Nick and Jared foresee that What Ability will grow majorly within the next three to five years. 

Jared has said he is hopeful that over the next three years What Ability will transform from a service provider to an authority in the space, helping reshape the way we approach disability as a society. 

“The NDIS is still only young, and our acceptance and understanding of disability as a society is still in its infancy, so being an influence on how this develops is an exciting opportunity and moreso, a responsibility,” Jared said. 

What Ability is very proud to introduce this dynamic duo to the public. Together we will work to create an inclusive world and make happiness come first for people living with a disability across the country! 

By |2023-08-20T22:56:38+00:00August 20, 2023|News, NSW, state based|0 Comments

What Ability Collaborates with Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia and What Ability have announced an exciting partnership that will help deliver happiness for Aussies living with disabilities across the country.

As part of the partnership, Virgin Australia will support What Ability on its mission to put happiness first for people living with a disability. This includes interstate travel for their team to support and train staff around the country. That training includes Safety Intervention, Crisis Prevention Intervention training and support worker workshops.          

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By |2023-08-01T23:07:12+00:00August 1, 2023|News, NSW, state based|0 Comments

Western Weekender spotlights What Ability and Penrith Panthers!

Penrith’s #1 newspaper, the Western Weekender, has shined a dazzling light on the work What Ability is doing in the disability space.

In the July 7th edition on page 48, Senior Sports Writer Nathan Taylor wrote about What Ability’s recent information session to the Penrith Panthers.

The article, cleverly titled “Putting Hands Up to Help Others,” highlighted the Panther’s desire to give back to the community through support work at What Ability.

Our Founder Steve Dresler emphasised why athletes are a perfect fit for support work and to be the change that the world needs.

“At What Ability, we use athletes as support workers because they’re young, they’re energetic and they’re fun – everything people in disability need,” Steve told Extra Time. 

What Ability is very grateful to have been featured in this article and we are looking forward to Panther’s players working as our support workers in the near future!

Read the full article here 

By |2023-07-10T05:02:51+00:00July 9, 2023|News, NSW, state based|0 Comments

What Ability partners with Giants!

Giants announce their partnership with What Ability 

– May 2023 –

GIANTS have announced an exciting new community partnership with disability support service What Ability.

What Ability is an NDIS provider that utilises professional and semi-professional athletes as support workers to provide community access for people living with a disability, including swimming, bush walks, beach days, indoor activities and overnight camps.

What Ability CEO Belinda Woolford said the partnership will facilitate more happiness and community-based experiences to people living with a disability.

“To team up with a club who shares our vision of an inclusive world is very exciting. We’ve got big things planned for the rest of the year and we couldn’t be prouder to see the GWS community get involved in helping us put happiness first for all our families” Woolford said.

GIANTS CEO David Matthews is just as stoked with the partnership.

 “We’re proud to have What Ability join our GIANTS family as a new community partner. What Ability are a wonderful organisation doing vital work in the disability space and it’s a fantastic opportunity for our players to be involved as support workers themselves. The GIANTS are an organisation for everyone and this new partnership just reinforces that our club is an inclusive and safe space for all.”

GIANTS players Ally Dallaway and Lachie Whitfield are already involved as support workers with What Ability. 

“If there were other athletes thinking about getting involved in this work, I would say, it is so fun, super rewarding, it’s honestly the best job ever and What Ability has been amazing to work for. So, it honestly doesn’t feel like work at all, so it’s perfect.” Dallaway said.

To follow this partnership, check out What Ability (@whatability) and GIANTS (@gwsgiants) on socials or if you’re looking for disability support, head to https://whatability.com.au/services/need-support/ to find out more.

By |2023-05-29T23:42:05+00:00May 29, 2023|News, NSW, state based|0 Comments

GLOW is back and we want you there!

We are so pumped to announce we have unlocked a ‘glow in the dark’ experience at Sydney Zoo for people living with a disability on 6 June. Thanks to our major partner Harvey Norman, we have unlocked GLOW tickets again this year.

Last year’s event was a night of bright lights and loud laughter! Our families got to enjoy a beautiful evening smiling brightly in front of neon wings and under twinkly lights and jump take a ride on the ferris wheel. This year’s event, beginning at 5pm, will be a night of unforgettable memories and we can’t wait to see you there! 

This waitlist has been closed

By |2023-05-30T01:33:49+00:00May 24, 2023|News, NSW, state based|0 Comments

Get Googling this World Autism Month!

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that many people live with. Your friends, family or colleagues may live with autism!

In fact, Autism Aspect Australia – a service provider for people with autism – reveals that 1 in 70 Australians live with autism. They describe autism as “a condition that affects how a person thinks, feels, interacts with others, and experiences their environment.” ASD is an incurable disorder that stays with a person from birth right through the duration of their life. 

People with autism are unique and deserve to be celebrated and included in society. For this to happen, people who are not connected to the autism space need to be educated, and acceptance needs to be promoted. 

Enter World Autism Month, a recurring month every year focused on doing just that! World Autism Month runs during the month of April and there’s even an Autism Day that takes place on April 2. 

This year, to help educate and celebrate the month, our What Ability crew (including a staff member living with autism) went in front of the cameras to answer the most commonly googled questions about autism. The idea behind this is to help break misconceptions about autism, as well as give people with autism a voice.

What Ability is committed to helping families of people with autism. We support people of all varying support levels. 

 

We aim to bring happiness to people living with a disability in a safe and secure way. Some people with ASD find discomfort in busy, social situations. This is why it’s important we offer 1:1 support as well as options for quieter activities.

We believe that everyone has the right to go out and have fun! This year for World Autism Month, spread the joy and happiness! And of course, take the time to educate yourself and get googling!

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By |2023-04-21T02:43:01+00:00April 20, 2023|News, NSW, state based|0 Comments

Get to know our CEO Belinda

We sat down with our new CEO Belinda, ex-CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities for over nine years and mum of 3 (and a cute Frenchie called Archie) to discuss everything from her favourite sporting team to her vision for What Ability over the next five years.

When did you first hear about What Ability? And what made you want to work there?

On social media – it really caught my eye with the amazing things it was doing and it also looked fun and different! Steve and I had connected through LinkedIn and I was really excited about the vision of the organisation and about the difference it could really make in the disability sector.

What were you doing before What Ability?

I was at Ronald McDonald House Charities for over the past 9 years as their CEO. Prior to that I worked in the sport and corporate worlds specialising in marketing, media and partnerships.

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By |2023-05-23T05:07:48+00:00April 17, 2023|News|0 Comments
 
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