Last year I was approached by our human resources team to help our organisation (The Disability Trust) to conduct training for staff.

With a busy workload I thought this may be difficult, however looking back I am glad I did it as it's given me the opportunity to teach others new skills, as well as share my experiences in the sector.

At the time I was looking to increase my skills as a manager and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do this. I completed a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and spent five days learning the course content, assessment and skills required to teach the chosen course.

I have enjoyed training at work as I have been able to use my Bachelor of Education degree and apply my formal training in this role. Interestingly, I have found adult learning environments very different to those in a school setting.

Although it is a challenge stepping up in front of my peers, being a trainer has allowed me to share my knowledge and experience which has helped to boost the skills of staff in the workplace.

Personally this has been a huge opportunity for my growth as a manager and I see that it provides extra opportunities for career development and progression in the future.

What training have you undertaken recently?

For more information read carecareers' overview on training in the disability sector.

At Sport and Recreation Services, International Day for People with a Disability allows our participants to participate in a number of events or showcase their skills in a variety of ways. The Disability Trust is committed to “creating an inclusive world” and International Day for People with a Disability is a great way to encourage inclusion across the community.

This year, our Altogether Drama group will be performing a traditional English pantomime of Cinderella, alongside the Wollongong Workshop Theatre group. The performers have previously been in a number of productions including Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and this is Altogether Drama’s 18th year of performing.

Every year, we hold our Christmas Party on the first weekend of December where all participants from all Sport and Recreation Service’s programs come together to enjoy a night of dancing and games. As always there has been a lot of excitement building over the past few weeks and we are sure it will also be a great night.

Finally, our Leisure Link group will be taking part in the Shoalhaven International Day for People with a Disability Dinner Dance, held annually at the Bomaderry RSL Club. This event is the hard work of the Shoalhaven Disability Forum, and our group has been busy making their hats for this year’s Happy Hatters theme.

What do you do to celebrate International Day of People with Disability? Share your story here.

As I have been away on holidays, I asked one of our newest team members at Sport & Recreation Services, Tennille Owen, to share her experiences in working with us and for a disability service provider.

Tennille is employed as our Administrative Assistant and is supported by The Disability Trust’s employment service Workskills.

Tennille has submitted her story about finding work in the disability sector to carecareers' True Stories section. You can submit your story too, to help job seekers decide if a care career is for them!

What do you want to hear about in my next blog? You can ask me questions at Career Advice and Opinions.

Ask any disability service provider about recognising the achievements of people with disability. They will tell you that any chance they get they let everyone know the great work or success an individual or group has had. Service providers like mine have worked hard to foster inclusion and ensure access and equity issues are minimal.

On July 2 my service held its annual Ray White Illawarra Awards Evening, where over 300 people come together to recognise achievements of our Sport & Recreation Services program participants.

The night runs just the same as any mainstream sporting club's presentation night, with trophies awarded to the best and fairest participants from each sport and recreational program. Major awards are also presented to participants who excel personally including the most helpful, best teamwork, most respectful and most improved. It is also a great night to recognise the assistance of our supporters and sponsors.

Participants get to dress up in formal wear for the evening and are treated to a sit down meal and entertainment including a live band. It’s a great night out for families and carers to spend time with friends and other participants.

The night went well and was well received by all in attendance. It was great to see so many participants and families enjoy a night out, and great to see the participants who have achieved so much in the last 12 months get recognised for their efforts.

Every day is different in my job. That’s what I love about it. That’s why I have been working in disability services for the past 7 years.  I have worked as a direct care staff member, Team Leader, Project Officer and now a Manager. As I have progressed my career in the industry, I have seen a number of changes and enormous growth with my organisation, The Disability Trust, and have had to adapt and change in a number of ways. The success we have had through growth has been great for new participants, families and carers. But balancing time and resources while expanding and ensuring our current participants are still receiving a service that meets their needs can be a daunting challenge.

I remember thinking during the middle of our growth period 18 months ago “what on earth are we doing?” and “when is this going to end?”. Just as we were starting to plateau the workload increased again.  I like to think of myself as an organised person, but as we got bigger and bigger and further and further away from head office it felt as though the workload was too much and that it was all going to fall in a heap. Administrative changes, staffing, recruitment, training, resourcing of new programs and promoting to new participants and families took time away from the successful and stable programs already established.

Now that we are through the other side and I look back on it, I realise that although we were busy it was well worth it not only for our new participants but also our existing ones, with the expansion allowing for a wide variety of programs to be established across a number of regions. We were successful by setting realistic timeframes. The old saying “it won’t happen overnight but it will happen” is true. Building team dynamics and confidence is essential. As a Manager it is important to have faith and trust your team. Having sound policy and procedures ensures your team are able to effectively do their roles and gives you time to concentrate on what needs to be done to have effective services. It also helps your workload. Ongoing challenges include the distance between management, programs and linking with families in regional areas. To meet the needs of individuals it is essential you are in constant contact with the families who attend your services and good time management has allowed me to spend time at least once a week at a program we offer.

It is an exciting time for disability services with more change on the way for all. Growth and change, whether good or bad, usually causes some level of discomfort, however if you are able to adapt and keep an open mind, the benefits for participants, families and carers can be great.