Meeting new people can be enjoyable, tiring, uncertain or a mix of all three. You can choose social activities that suit your interests and decide how much support you want while you’re there.
The aim is to be included as yourself. You don’t need to change your personality or enjoy the same activities as everyone else.
Choose the interest first
A shared activity can make conversation easier. You might prefer a small art group, a game, gardening or a regular visit to a familiar place. Think about the kind of setting you enjoy, including noise, group size and how structured it is.
Ask whether you can visit before joining. Check what it costs and whether there is an expectation to attend every week.
Explain how you communicate
You may use a device, signs, pictures, speech or more than one method. Tell organisers and workers what helps, including time to respond or written information before the activity.
Ask people to communicate directly with you. A support worker can assist without answering every question on your behalf.
Decide what the worker should do
You might want someone beside you at first, help starting a conversation or assistance with practical tasks. Later you may prefer them to step back.
Agree how you’ll let them know if you need a break or want to leave. A quiet space and a clear way home can make an unfamiliar activity easier to try.
Give useful feedback afterwards
Think about whether you enjoyed the activity, felt included and had enough support. You can choose a different group or decide that spending time with a friend suits you better.
If you’re looking for disability-related assistance to attend, check your plan and ask about worker hours, transport and any charges you would pay separately. Activity fees aren’t automatically covered by support funding.
Vana Care accepts community access enquiries across Adelaide. Tell us what you’d like to do and what would help you feel comfortable. We’ll discuss the support and available workers with you.
