News

For students at Dianella Secondary College Education Support Centre, learning does not stop at the school gate.

It happens on excursions and camps, at sporting activities, in the community and in the everyday experiences that help young people build confidence, independence and a sense of belonging.

But for students living with disability, getting there can sometimes be the biggest barrier of all.

This week, Variety WA was proud to hand over a new, fully accessible Sunshine Coach to Dianella Secondary College Education Support Centre – giving the school greater freedom to open up those opportunities to its students.

The coach will support excursions, camps, sporting activities, therapy appointments and community-based learning, providing reliable and accessible transport whenever it is needed.

On the surface, it is a vehicle. In practice, it is much more than that.

It means a student can travel alongside their classmates rather than having different arrangements made for them. It means an excursion can be planned around the experience rather than the transport. And it means the question becomes less about whether a student can participate, and more about where they will go next.

Opening doors through access

“Something as simple as transport can determine whether a child gets to take part or has to miss out,” Variety WA CEO Chris Chatterton said.

“This Sunshine Coach gives the school greater freedom to say yes to opportunities for its students, and that is exactly the kind of practical impact Variety is here to make.

“We’re incredibly grateful to the partners who recognised the difference this coach could make and helped us bring it to life.”

The impact of that support will be felt in ways both big and small.

There will be the obvious moments – camps, excursions, sporting events and new places explored – but there will also be the quieter ones. Travelling with friends. Becoming more confident in the community. Sharing an experience with classmates. Coming home with a new story to tell.

These are ordinary parts of growing up, but they are also important ones. Every child deserves the opportunity to experience them.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to receive a Sunshine Coach that supports our students using wheelchairs,” Dianella Secondary College Education Support Centre Principal Julie Allsopp said.

“This van represents opportunity, inclusion, independence and belonging for our students. It removes barriers that many young people with disabilities face every day and opens doors to experiences that all students deserve.”

Variety Sunshine Coaches help schools and organisations remove one of the very practical barriers that can limit opportunities for children living with disability, illness or disadvantage.

And while the handover of a new coach is a special moment, its real value will be seen in the years that follow.

It will be there on an ordinary Tuesday morning when a class heads out into the community. It will carry students to places they have not been before, to activities they might not otherwise have been able to join, and to experiences that help shape their confidence and independence.

Over time, hundreds of students will step aboard.

For many of them, the coach will simply become part of school life – and perhaps that is the greatest measure of its success. Accessible transport should not feel exceptional. Being able to participate should simply be expected.

This Sunshine Coach was made possible thanks to the generous support of the McCusker Charitable Foundation, Sovereign Hydroseal, Hyundai Motor Company and Accessible Transit Specialists.

Their contribution is far more than the vehicle itself. It is an investment in access, participation and the belief that a child’s opportunities should never be determined by whether they have a way to get there.

The handover may mark the arrival of a new coach, but the real story begins with every journey that follows.

To the students, families and staff at Dianella Secondary College Education Support Centre, we cannot wait to see where it takes you.