Why I’m stepping up again for Steptember

We’re at the midway point of Steptember – Cerebral Palsy Alliance’s (CPA) fundraiser to challenge people to move 10,000 steps each day this month.

To date, more than $6M has been raised globally from steppers around the world to support people living with cerebral palsy.

As a parent of two children with a disability, I’m excited by the potential of technology to drive inclusion and reduce barriers for people with disability. When I’m stepping, that’s what I’m thinking about and I encourage people to join the Steptember effort or donate to a team that has stepped up this year.

Just reflecting on my Steptember this year, I like the idea that when I take stairs instead of a lift or encourage my friends and family to part with their reddies to sponsor me, that this all rolls up to something much bigger than a charity fundraiser.

For Telstra people involved in Steptember, we’re stepping up because our fundraising supports CPA’s Remarkable, Australia’s first accelerator for early-stage start-ups creating tech that improves life for people with disability. 

Last year we raised more than $200K, and while we topped the Steptember fundraiser tally board the real headline was that six new innovative tech enterprises were supported to make a difference. Through Steptember we helped:

• Sameview to build a trusted online platform for easier, and better disability care coordination
• Spokle to launch its speech therapy app to provide practical, family-centred communication strategies to support children with communication disorders
• Bookbot to empower those with learning disabilities to become confident, independent learners through a reading assistant app
• jobmatcher to use predictive artificial intelligence to match the most relevant positions for each job seeker, particularly tackling the low employment rates for people with disability
• NomadVR to bring highly stimulating virtual reality experiences to empower anyone without the means to go outside with the ability to do so much more
• PolySpine to develop a customised, modular torso and head support system that enables people with physical disability to participate in various recreational and rehabilitation activities

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Here are just a few ways that you can meet your Steptember goals by the end of the month and step it up:

1. Walk away from your desk for lunch and get some fresh air. It will not only get your steps up but help you to refocus for the afternoon.
2. Get off the train/bus/tram a stop early to get some extra steps in.
3. Park your car further away from your destination to not only increase your chances of finding a car park but increase your step count.
4. Say no the elevator and embrace the stairs.
5. Spring has sprung so spend some time outside getting your garden ready. You’d be surprised how many steps you’ll do mowing, weeding and planting.
6. Take your meeting to go: walking and talking will allow you to have a doubly productive meeting.
7. Retail therapy: get those steps up and treat yourself to a shopping trip.
8. Get social and active: walk with someone as a social activity catch up or walk over to a work colleague to talk instead of emailing them.
9. Set an hourly alarm to remind yourself to take a stroll.
10. Keep it fun – walk the dogs, kids, partners, and get everyone outdoors to play.  

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You can #makeeverystepcount: https://www.steptember.org.au/