People living with disabilities will be better able to plan activities on the Sunshine Coast through a home-grown digital platform.
A partnership between Sunshine Coast Council and local company Cerge will provide information about access and inclusion at a host of venues and destinations.
Council Community Portfolio Councillor Taylor Bunnag said Cerge specialised in helping venues such as hotels, restaurants and event spaces be more accessible.
Cr Bunnag said the partnership would improve interactions with Council spaces that showcased arts, entertainment, environmental activities, sport and recreation.
“For people with disabilities, outings to many venues can be a daunting experience – not knowing what is where, how they might navigate their way in and out and what facilities, what equipment and support is on offer,” he said.
Cr Bunnag said Cerge had developed a series of accessible tools so people had information before they went and understood venue accessibility ahead of time.
He said these could include a 360-degree Virtual Tour, Visual Story & Sensory Guide and Audio Guide.
“Cerge has also connected with Council’s Accessible Beach program and very soon a ‘visual story’ will be available to illustrate where and how to book and collect a beach wheelchair, how to use it and what to do on return.
“More publicly available information empowers customers with a disability, parents, carers and support workers to make informed decisions before arrival.”
Council Community Portfolio Councillor David Law said Sunshine Coast Libraries already offered a large range of resources that could be accessed by everyone.
“Now we are moving through our community and sport venues to help make our Council venues more accessible thanks to this partnership with a forward-thinking local business,” Cr Law said.
“This is significant step towards becoming more inclusive as our region prepares to host inclusive sports events like the Australian Deaf Games in 2026, Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Para-cycling Road World Championships in 2028 and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Cerge co-founder Chris Kerrisk said the Mooloolaba-based company aimed to enhance community participation and confidence for people with disability, carers and support workers, promoting a more inclusive community.
Mr Kerrisk said the platform featured a companion website for venues to display their accessibility features and an app that let customers communicate their needs directly to staff.
“The Cerge Companion websites are a plug and play solution for venues to make a stepped change in the publicly available information detailing accessible and sensory experience imagery and descriptions,” he said.
“Community and sport venues are an exciting addition to the expanding list of locations involved in this supportive movement.”
Venues currently available on Cerge:
- Beerwah Aquatic.
- Buderim Aquatic.
- Caloundra Aquatic.
- Caloundra Indoor Stadium.
- Coolum Aquatic.
- Coolum Civic Centre.
- Cotton Tree Aquatic.
- Eumundi Aquatic.
- Kawana Aquatic.
- Kawana Forest Meeting Place.
- Kawana Island Meeting Place.
- Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve + 4WD wheelchair.
- Nambour Aquatic.
- Palmwoods Aquatic.
- Altitude Nine.
- Beerwah Community Hall.
- Bellvista Community Place.
- Kawana Community Hall.
- Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex.
- Millwell Road Community Centre.
- Sunshine Coast City Hall.
- Sunshine Coast Stadium.
- Venue 114
Coming soon: Accessible Beaches:
- Coolum Beach.
- Dicky Beach.
- Kings Beach.
- Mooloolaba.
