2024 Accessible Futures Awards and Gala

Accessible Futures is the first awards event hosted by and for people living with disabilities, empowering individuals and recognising their accomplishments.

The Accessible Futures Awards Gala, hosted by Making Footprints, took place on November 30th. It was a heartwarming evening that recognised the incredible efforts and achievements of individuals living with disabilities, informal carers, dedicated employees, and outstanding providers.

The event’s highlight was celebrating the impact these remarkable individuals and organisations have made within the community. The entertainment provided by PerformAbility added an extra layer of joy to the occasion.

Innovation Excellence Award

The Innovation Excellence Award recognises providers that excel in adapting and innovating their services to cater to the local community. It celebrates creative and forward-thinking approaches that have positively impacted the lives of individuals with disabilities.

Nomination evidence for this award includes:

• Development of innovative new services, programs, products, or technology that contribute to advancements and improvements within the Central Coast Disability Community.
• Evidence of a whole-organisation approach to innovation.

A Huge Thank You!

As my husband and I sat enjoying the entertainment and company, catching up with others in the disability support space—and even a client or two—we only had one ear on the nominations for the Innovation Excellence Award.

The list of nominees was extensive, with 15 organisations in total. We relaxed, not expecting to hear Seen and Herd called. So, it was quite a shock and delight to be announced as the 2024 winner!

Thank you to all those who nominated and voted for Seen and Herd. It means so much to us, and we will continue working hard to provide innovative, creative, and safe therapeutic interventions for all.

A Milestone in Innovation and Inclusion

This recognition affirms the incredible work being done at Seen and Herd and highlights the value of innovative approaches in creating a more inclusive community.

Thank you for supporting our journey!.

Welcome to Equine Assisted Learning (and FUN!)

Are you looking for a school holiday activity that will ignite your kids’ curiosity, love of learning and life and the great outdoors? Do your children find teamwork hard? Looking to get them off screens? Make new friends? Learn emotional resilience and skills while having a great time? Even improve their literacy skills?! Book your place now for the Summer Fun series, places are very limited for this small group 4 week activity based program.

Mondays – Jan 13,20 27 and Feb 3 for ages 7-11.

Email natasha@seenandherd.com.au or call 0413369507 now.

Horse handling & Horse Powered Reading

Horse Powered Reading® (HPR) is a science based experiential learning program focused on the student’s natural curiosity and determination to help gain confidence, motivation, and overcome reading challenges. By integrating equine assisted learning, social emotional learning, and academics, Horse Powered Reading® helps students of all ages build self-efficacy and excitement for learning.

During sessions, students are allowed to make discoveries through activities using props to aid learning. Students and their reading partner (horse), interact providing the facilitator insight into what they are experiencing inside and what patterns are working or not working for them. That interplay allows for profound learning to take place. Through this process, the horse creates an opportunity for immediate feedback and experiential learning to take place.

The group and teamwork experienced through the summer school program also builds confidence, social relationships and connection with peers.

Summer FUN Program 2025

4  x weekly activity Mondays through the school holidays for your children to enjoy the great outdoors, away from screens, make new friends and learn new skills. Program delivered by a NDIS Registered and qualified Equine Assisted Therapist and Horse Powered Reading Facilitator, www.horsepoweredreading.com.

• Horse handling skills / Grooming / Literacy Games / Teamwork / Emotional resilience / Emotional Regulation / Mindfulness / Skill building
• Small group learning (< 5 children per day)
• Age group 7—11 years
• 9 am—12 noon
• Jan 13, 20, 27 and Feb 3
• NDIS Registered Provider—NDIS funding may be applicable- contact for details

Private sessions also available by appointment.

On October 19th we were privileged to host a day of connections for veterans and their families. While the group was small, it was mighty, and our friends at Veterans Connect (part of Social Futures) also took part in the activities on the day.

The theme of Keep Connected was selected by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs for this year’s veterans’ week, which could not be more apt for the work we do here. The day was a relaxed blend of psychoeducation on befriending our nervous systems, working on the polyvagal theory and how we can learn to recognise our internal states and start to regulate them.

A beautiful hour was spent sitting in the paddocks observing and interacting with the herd, allowing our participants to understand horse behaviour, and how it reflects our own approaches in relationship. After a casual networking lunch, the groups circulated through 3 different activities, approach and retreat, mindful grooming and connection and leading in the round yard. Mindfulness was a key element throughout the day, and connections with self and others were made.

The feedback from our participants was so positive that we hope to run more workshops specifically for veterans in the future. If You are a veteran or know a veteran, do encourage them to get in touch.

Feedback:

 “Thank you for an amazing experience” “Such and amazing service and facility”.

 “Thank you for a fantastic day , your setting and staff were outstandingly understanding, really appreciate being able to attend”.

All 6 of us equines are enjoying the return of the spring grass, the tinies are charging around playing tag with Donkey and we have been welcoming new clients to the farm. The new paddock vacuum is working a treat, and once I got over the shock of the noisy red poo machine in the paddock, I was quite impressed with the results.

This month saw us welcome a group of wonderful humans that mum called Veterans, for a thing called Veteran’s week. The nice people at Social Futures helped with all the organising, and the human food (though I got some of the apples hee hee) and getting the grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs to run the day/ A big shout out to our friends and Equine Assisted Therapists Jo Hall from True self Equine Therapy in Bathurst and Anna Preuss, from Coast to Country Yoga and Dressage who helped mum to run the day.

The group was small and intimate, and everyone had lots of time to spend with us after learning about Polyvagal Theory (mum will tell you more about that later) and coming to see us all lovely and grounded after their relaxation session.  I particularly enjoyed being Boss man that day as I got the mindful grooming and connection session (Ahhhh…).

Oh, and we have some interesting birds by the round yard – pretty spooky when they jump put at you mid lunge if you ask me. Oh, and the funny horse with the big ears mum calls “Donkey” has settled in a bit too well if you ask me, keeps trying to pinch my hay over the fence!

Well, that’s it from me, I need to go and discipline Red and do some eating…. lots of eating.

Monstar