Top indoor activities for people with disability

Even though picnics are beginning to become an option across the country, what do you do on those rainy days or when you just prefer to stay inside? Whether you want to try something new, find a way to keep active or be more involved in the community, there are plenty of indoor activities and ideas that are perfect for anyone to try. So, here are some great ideas for your next Hireup shift.

Activities in the kitchen

You may be the next Jamie Oliver and you don’t even know it yet. Cooking is a brilliant indoor activity because it not only creates something tasty for you to enjoy, it helps with building independence and importantly, impressing your family or friends.
If you’re new to cooking or want to work on your culinary skills, it’s a great idea to post a job and find a support worker who already has a love for cooking. Hireup client Mat met Chelsea through the job board, and since then they’ve spent a lot of time in the kitchen learning new recipes and preparing meals to put in the freezer for the week ahead.

Here is at least a week's worth of great recipes to help get you started. 

Want to take it to the next level? Hireup client Ben fell in love with Warren’s creative cooking because it reminds him of home, so they cook and share a meal together every week. Cooking is surprisingly creative and there are plenty of ways to add to learning how to cook. If you’re cooking on your next shift, why not ask your support worker to bring a mystery ingredient and use that to make up your own recipe together? Share the meal once it’s done and rate it, just like you’re on a cooking TV show. 

Or if you want to make it a whole day activity, you could really become the next Jamie Oliver by starting your own restaurant at home. Begin by making a menu, cooking a meal and serving it to your family or friends.  

Baking 

Similar to cooking but think more pastries, cakes and sweets. Baking is often a crowd favourite because it can be a little more messy than cooking and often involves chocolate. It’s definitely a great way to have fun in the kitchen. 

If you need inspiration, here are some simple recipes to start with.

Want to take it to the next level? Right now, it is a brilliant time to share some kindness throughout your community. While Random Acts of Cupcakes is sharing cupcakes to the community in Ballarat, you could bake something of your own and deliver it to your family, friends or neighbours as a gift.
Before we leave the kitchen, it might be a good chance to mention that although everyone with a disability has different needs, there is a way to make cooking or baking work for everyone. Here are a couple of tips for making it work for you. 

• Make a plan first: planning is a crucial part of all cooking and can be a good way to ensure you have everything you need and that you're cooking the right recipe.
• Break it down: although it might seem like a bit of extra work, you can make the cooking process go smoothly by getting each part of the recipe measured and out on the bench before starting.
• Clean and declutter the kitchen first: A de-cluttered kitchen can really help.
• Take breaks if you need to: there's no rush, so take as many breaks as you need.
• Enjoy the process: as much as the end result is going to be tasty, the process itself is what will make it worth it.

Activities in the living room

One great exercise idea that you may not have considered as a core exercise is dancing, although you may have to argue that one with Hireup users Noelene and Victoria who are avid line dancers. Dancing is such a great way to get active and make sure you’re having fun at the same time. You can learn a new dance on TikTok or even hire your very own dancing support worker.

In the study or bedroom

Learning an instrument is not only challenging, but music therapy has so many health benefits in your life too. If you have thought about learning an instrument but you have never had the courage to start, it is easier than ever to try. You could learn an instrument directly from your support worker or you could learn it together online. We have even put together six ideas to get started on your next shift.

Activities in the bathroom

Do you love makeup? Hireup client Kat loves nothing more than learning something new from makeup tutorials online. They also have a passion for making makeup more accessible for more people, so why not turn your next shift into a makeover?

Activities in the shed

If you’re lucky enough to have a shed or garage, it can be the kind of space that you can get lost in for hours.  Although some may argue the shed is outdoors, it technically has a roof and walls, so that’s a good excuse to share these final recreational activity ideas.

Our community is a crafty one. Take Andy for example, who has managed to use his craft skills to take a trip to the stars this lockdown, or Portia and Sam who spend their shifts designing and making their own earrings to sell at their local market. 

If you want to spend some time indoors making something, there are thousands of ideas to help you get started. Pinterest is a great place to search for some DIY builds that you can try at home. You’re bound to find something that interests you.

Maybe you can take some inspiration from Ash, who is in our content team. He recently built a DIY bird feeder to encourage the spring birds to visit. They haven’t visited yet but he is convinced they will.  

So, the physical benefits of exercise, such as improving strength, mobility, cardiovascular fitness and health are important. An exercise physiologist can work on and recommend exercises depending on the type of sport a person is playing. 

“Aerobic sport that requires you to cover a distance on a field or a court repetitively requires that person to participate in a lot of fitness-based exercise,” George says. “This includes but is not limited to running, wheelchair sprints, ski erg, spin bike. Interval training is a great way to improve fitness and allows people to work at a high intensity. 

“Strength exercises are also important for all sports. Strength training is important to prevent muscular strains and strengthens our joints. For example, working on upper body strength can improve throwing performance in sports such as basketball, baseball and cricket. Strength exercises include using weight machines such as a chest press, cable row, or leg press. There are an infinite amount of exercises that a person with a disability can do.”

Inclusive sports that are tailored to you

Take Andrew, for example, who along with going to the gym, also goes Framerunning training every week with a regular group. “A few of us have been training together for a while and we push each other by having friendly competition. A Frameruner is a three wheeled frame which you run in while you are supported in an upright position.”

Finally, it’s all about keeping an open mind. 

“You might have seen a sport that doesn’t look fun or you might think you may not be appropriate for that certain sport,” George says.

“There are a range of sports today that are accessible and can be tailored for you as an individual so that you are able to participate. As an example, there is a community that takes people with a disability water skiing on certain rivers around Sydney. Speak to some of your friends who have tried certain sports and gain some information about what’s required for you to participate.”