What are Leisure & Lifestyle Services?
Develop new skills and build your confidence.
Our Leisure and Lifestyle Services are an opportunity to develop new skills and build your confidence in a supportive social environment. Group activities are designed to suit every person – regardless of your goals, age or level of vision loss – with elements tailored to suit your individual needs.
Benefits can include:
- Building your confidence
- Developing skills for independent living
- Experiencing new activities or rediscovering past hobbies
- Getting active and participating in the community
- Meeting new people and connecting with friends.
All Guide Dogs clients are welcome to participate in our Leisure & Lifestyle activities.
To learn more about any of the groups listed here or to find a Leisure & Lifestyle Service to support your goals, register your interest using the form below or contact our Client Services team:
- Phone: 1800 757 738
- Email: support@guidedogs.org.au
Empowered Living Program
Learn skills to become more independent in everyday life.
The Empowered Living Program is a new skill development and education program specially designed for people who have experienced recent vision loss or blindness.
Through a series of group sessions, you can discover useful tricks, techniques and equipment to maintain your independence and feel safer at home or in the community.
The Empowered Living Program will explore a different topic each month. You can learn about simple adaptations to make life easier in your home, explore apps for reading and navigation, and get practical tips for personal grooming.
To learn more about the Empowered Living Program and to find upcoming events click here.
The program includes online and face-to-face sessions.
You can gain confidence from the comfort of your home, and then test your new skills and knowledge in the community with Guide Dogs staff by your side. You will also receive a handbook and a self-assessment questionnaire to track your progress.
Please contact Salina Shrestha at salina.shrestha@guidedogs.org.au or phone 08 8203 8347 if you would like further information or to express your interest in the program.
School Holiday Sessions
Learn the value of leadership and teamwork.
Our School Holiday Sessions support children and teenagers living with vision loss to work towards their personal goals for improved independence, and confidence, all while having fun and learning the value of leadership and teamwork.
During the school holidays throughout the year, students aged between 12 and 18 years old from across South Australia and the Northern Territory are invited to participate in this life-changing experience. Our specialist team works with students to identify their goals and practice independent living skills through occupational therapy and orientation and mobility training that is incorporated to fun activities like adventure courses, visiting tourist attractions and different forms of transport.
In addition to helping students achieve their goals for improved confidence and independence, the sessions offer young people a unique opportunity for social inclusion and community connection to others their age with similar life experiences.
Highlights include:
- Practising navigating unfamiliar environments
- Experiencing new technology and transport options
- Practising road crossing training and public transport training for greater freedom of mobility
- Independently planning, shopping and preparing meals
- Trying new sports, games and activities to build confidence and teamwork
- Getting creative with tactile arts and crafts experiences
- Building confidence, meeting new friends and making memories to last a lifetime.
To learn more about our School Holiday Sessions, contact our Client Services team on 1800 757 738 or email support@guidedogs.org.au.
Happy Hour Sessions
Share stories and learn something new.
Join us for our popular Social Happy Hour sessions.
Open to anyone experiencing a vision loss, as well as family and friends, it’s a chance to catch up for a chat and meet new people, all from the comfort of your own home.
With face-to-face and also online sessions held in person and via Microsoft Teams upon request.
To learn more about our upcoming sessions or to register, visit our Events page.
For further information or to register please email salina.shrestha@guidedogs.org.au or phoning 08 8203 8347. If you would like help joining a session, please contact Simon Wong on 08 8203 8334 or Salina Shrestha on 08 8203 8347.
"The happy hour sessions are very helpful, inspiring and motivating. I have recently lost my vision and joining the sessions has been a fantastic way to meet other people and share each other’s thoughts, feelings and experiences. I feel very reassured and supported in this group. I have learnt so much about managing life after vision loss through the discussions in this group."
Get involved with Guide Dogs
Learn more.
In addition to our existing Leisure & Lifestyle Services, we are currently developing a range of exciting initiatives to enhance your social connection, community participation and skills for daily living.
If you would like to know more about Guide Dogs’ Leisure & Lifestyle Services, please contact our Client Services team:
- Via the form below
- Phone: 1800 757 738
- Email: support@guidedogs.org.au
Request a service
Start the journey towards greater independence.
Referrals are welcomed from individuals, family members and health professionals.
Access other support
Enhance your wellbeing.
We offer a full range of specialist support to enhance your independence and wellbeing. In addition to our Leisure & Lifestyle Services, you may benefit from:
- Adult Mobility: Develop skills to get around your home and community safely and with confidence, at every stage of life.
- Guide Dog Mobility: Partner with a Guide Dog and participate in Guide Dog Mobility training to become more confident moving through life.
- Children’s Services: Whatever milestones your child or teen wants to achieve so they can feel happy and confident, our vision specialists can offer training, encouragement and support.
- Low Vision Services: Receive specialist assessments, support and advice to ensure your lifestyle and environment are optimised to suit your level of vision.
- Occupational Therapy: Work with Occupational Therapists to identify personal goals and learn practical skills to achieve them. These can include cooking, caring for your family, living independently at home, and managing your own financial transactions.
- Neurological Vision Service: If you’ve experienced a change in vision through accident or injury to the brain, explore new skills for new life circumstances with our Neurological Vision Service. Maximise your remaining vision, learn to move through different environments and communicate with people in the community.
- Assistive Technology: Access Assistive Technology training to make life easier. Whether it’s your smartphone or a specific aid like GPS devices, improve your confidence with technology that suits your needs.
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