d-a-d 3Speak Podcast

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=d-a-d/sfkarobs This time around, we founf a playground that has a lot going for it from an accessible point of view. There's a Liberty swing whcih can take a wheelchair, a ramp on the play equipment, and a lot of other features that fit the bill nicely! I'm not overly certain that the equipment was designed to be accessible, as there's not a lot to be done once you reach the top, but it's better than anything else we've looked at so far.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=d-a-d/fxtgjmck This is our second accessible playground review and we kind of had high hopes for it. We'd been told that the recently renovated playground had been given accesible features. We had high hopes!

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=d-a-d/mbyrfkne If you've followed my account at all, you'll know that I'm all about helping people to understand Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare genetic condition that my son has. This year (and well into the future), I realy want to look at inclusivity and, in this series, see how inclusive playgrounds are. So, this is the first of many videos that will review playgrounds based upon 5 criteria to see how inclusive they are. It is my desire to see councils and governments take inclusivity seriously, especially in public areas where children are potentially unable to be included in their friends' games.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=d-a-d/jojlzdsd My son was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy nearly 3 years ago and in recent times, I've begun to notice that most public playgrounds are highly inaccessible for people who use mobility aids. The goal for 2025 is to review playgrounds for accessibility usingthe following five criteria: Are all areas of the park/playground accessible using a mobility aid? Is all play equipment accessible using a mobility aid? Is there accessible carparking close by? Are there accessible toilets nearby? What other amenities are there (BBQ, shelter, table/chairs, etc...)? If you've got any ideas of what else we could be assessing, please let me know. Hopefully we'll be able to convince some councils to make their playgrounds accessible for everyone.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=d-a-d/aeounbyu This video was taken a few years before we received my son's Duchenne muscular dystrophy diagnosis. I remember, back then, thinking that he had really good calf muscles. Didn't know at the time, that pseudohypertrophy is a clear indication of DMD and that we should've had him assessed.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=d-a-d/akpnyhcf As I continue preparing for the upcoming awareness/fund raising event, I've been completing early morning walks in the hope that I'll be conditioned enough to finish the 79 kilometres. While I've alwaye been adamant that I'll get through the distance, yesterday, I came to an explosive🤯 realisation.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=d-a-d/ytbijkzh 🌟 Join Me in Making a Difference! 🌟 That’s right! You haven’t watched wrong! I’m going to be walking 79km on the 7th of September with the intention of raising awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and to raise the funds required to purchase and build an accessible playground at Lockleys North Primary School and then, hopefully, many others. Please consider partnering with us as we move to raise awareness of this life limiting condition by joining our Facebook group, 79 on 7/9, at: If you’d like to donate $1, you can do so at my fundraiser page, here. (Please noate that it turns out the fundraising platform I'm using only accepts a minimum donation of $2, and they ask for a tip, which can be turned off by choosing to input a custom amount and changing the tip to $0.)

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=d-a-d/dlulxejabm Launching 15.02.2024

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=d-a-d/oxwxjvcamh He didn’t really want to go to the park because he thought it was going to be boring. There’s not a lot he can do there because the play equipment is too difficult for him to use, so we improvised a game of basketball that would make it easy for him to participate.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=d-a-d/pbchwavkrg Having a shot at upskilling my videography techniques - focusing on story telling and composition. My daughter was very helpful in acting, especially since she has never really played basketball before and didn’t even get provided with a proper location!

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=d-a-d/emhivpuqjd Over the past year, we’ve found UNO to be a great distraction from hospital waiting rooms and lengthy delays in various procedures. It’s been a source of immense laughter and helped in times of tension. I think the title says it all!!

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=d-a-d/hfuwcqbu Unfortunately for long term steroid users, bones can quickly become weak, and for a child with Duchenne muscular destrophy, this can easily lead to breakages. For a child with DMD, not walking, or using muscles, for a significant amount of time, such as occurs after breaking a leg, can lead to hastened inability to walk. To avoid this from happenning, bone infusions can be given in an effort to help strengthen the bones. The problem is, the procedure can be quite daunting. This is an account of my sons trip to the day unit for his first infusion. He was super brave.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=d-a-d/zpigoqgp A video that skips from idea to idea a little, however, the primary focus is the idea that a child with DMD is difficult to benchmark. Just like when you're measuring a childs growth, you can have an idea of where they should be, but you cannot know for sure as each child grows at different rates. So to, is true for a child with DMD. There are benchmarks that indicate how muscle weakening may progress, but it's always different from child to child.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=d-a-d/hkdtjkej One thing we really noticed was that after the diagnosis, the number of appointemtns we were suddenly required to attend increased exponentially. Before the diagnosis, Dominic presented as a generally healthy child and we only took him to the doctors when he needed to go. Upon discovering he has DMD, we were faced with the reality that he was now required to attend a large number of various specialist and health appointments over a calendar year. The number of appointments he needs to attend vary, depending on what is going on, but currently, there's about 7 annual appointments he need with specialists, plas weekly and fortnightly support from physio's and other therapists. These don''t include the support he gets from his school as well. As the condition worsens, we'll likely need to double the number of appointments as he'll need to attend twice a year, rather than the current once a year. I'm so grateful, however, for the professionals who are getting around him and supporting his needs. No doubt, without them, quality of life would be much less than it is. It makes me wonder how people who live in less ofrtunate countries manage this condition, and makes me want to raise awareness of it all the more.

https://3speak.tv/watch?v=d-a-d/jlarxgyl Every year on the 7th of September, the global Duchenne community come together to help raise awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The 7th of September is symbolic of the number of exons in the dystrophin gene - 79. The dystrophin gene is the one that is mutated and causes DMD. To help raise awareness one of the things we can do is ask local landmarks illuminate red. This year, we were lucky enough to have Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Town Hall and Parliament House light up red in recognition of the day. 79 Exons, the charity I founded last year was able to provide our son's class-mates with a small gift to remind them of the significance of the day.