By Casey Neill
A $10,000 boost will help The Bridge to build employment pathways for people with disabilities.
The Our Neighbourhood Community Grant from Australia Post will buy devices and apps and employ staff for the disability service provider’s Next Step program.
The Bridge CEO Phillip Toovey said Next Step was a transition to work program for school-leavers who needed to develop work skills.
“Most of the people involved in Next Step have an intellectual disability of some sort,” he said.
“Sometimes their literacy skills aren’t as strong.
“We need to look at alternative communication modes.”
The Look at Me app will help users to learn to read moods, remember faces, and express themselves with facial expressions and poses.
Stepping Stone will allow users to quickly create visual guides using their own photos to learn essential life skills and daily routines.
Users will be able to create talking picture books with Stories About Me and construct and speak sentences using symbols with Proloquo2Go.
Next Step currently runs from The Bridge Works in Cheltenham Road, Dandenong.
“We’re doing to be expanding that in to Springvale next year,” Mr Toovey said.
“It’s going to run at the same location as our disability employment service.
“It’s a very good starting point and it helps people get confidence.
“We’re filling a gap, and a very important gap that can lead people to more inclusion in their working lives.”
The Bridge was among 72 Our Neighbourhood Community grant recipients this year.
The cash is designed to help build a more inclusive, connected society.
