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
Here are just a few ways that you can meet your Steptember goals by the end of the month and step it up:
- 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.
- Get off the train/bus/tram a stop early to get some extra steps in.
- Park your car further away from your destination to not only increase your chances of finding a car park but increase your step count.
- Say no the elevator and embrace the stairs.
- 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.
- Take your meeting to go: walking and talking will allow you to have a doubly productive meeting.
- Retail therapy: get those steps up and treat yourself to a shopping trip.
- 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.
- Set an hourly alarm to remind yourself to take a stroll.
- Keep it fun – walk the dogs, kids, partners, and get everyone outdoors to play.
Libby the terrier on a walk. Sue and John walking the grandkids.
You can #makeeverystepcount: https://www.steptember.org.au/