Local charity organisation ParaQuad Tasmania supports people living with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and physical disability. For over 30 years now, they have been providing peer coaching, education programs, state-wide disability sports program and opportunities for people with SCI and physical disability to be engaged with their community.
Aside from accessible accommodation (Glen Moore Units), they also manage PQ Tasmania Healthcare Supplies, supplying continence, wound care and personal healthcare products to the disability and aged care sector.
Other programs also include BodySafe Education Program, Physical disABILITY Sports Tasmania, Access Advisory and Wheelchair Sports in Schools.
More recently, they have launched Propel Peer Coaching, an initiative designed to assist people transitioning from rehabilitation phase to return to a ‘life at home’.
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What is Propel Peer Coaching?
Propel Peer-led Coaching is for people with spinal cord injury, physical disability, their families, and carers living in Tasmania.
This free program is available state-wide and aims to connect a participant to someone with lived experience of spinal cord injury.
Propel Peer Coaches have undergone training through The Pacific Institute in the Thought Patterns 5.0 course (also known as the Discovering the Power in Me Course).
Propel is not a counselling service or a crisis intervention service. It is also not a therapeutic or allied health service. It is intended to work in conjunction with, or direct towards, these services, from the point of view of a person with lived experience.
Propel provides empathetic and qualified coaching support and empowers people with informed choices, goal setting and self-reflection.
What are some of the usual questions asked in Peer Coaching?
When a person acquires a spinal cord injury or physical disability, multiple questions and concerns usually arise in relation to: independent living, health, leisure and wellbeing, family and parenting, education and employment, information and resources, advocacy and support.
Some of the usual topics discussed are:
- How do I access relevant services?
- How do I chat about this with my spouse & young children?
- What sports can I participate in?
- Are there activities I can do with my family?
- How do I know where the accessible playgrounds or national parks are?
How can you get involved?
If a person would like to be connected to a Peer Coach, ParaQuad Tasmania can arrange chats via face to face, phone call, video call or email.
For more information regarding Propel, to meet the peer coaches, or to access the online contact form, head to their website paraquadtas.org.au/propel/.
For any queries regarding the program, please contact Sarah Rowbottom at programs@paraquadtas.org.au or phone ParaQuad Tasmania on 03 6272 8816.
