GHO Sydney has developed a new educational platform for Family Planning NSW to help parents and carers of children with disabilities navigate the changes to their bodies, emotions and social interactions.
The project, ‘Planet Puberty’, was made possible through funding from the federal government’s Department of Social Services, and was co-designed with people with disability and their parents and carers perspectives.
The project includes a website, webinar series, posters, podcast and social videos.
The site includes accessible lessons, factsheets, videos and resources about everything a child needs to know as they go through puberty, including information about body changes, hygiene, periods, emotions and relationships.
The Planet Puberty podcast will feature special guests including former Dolly Doctor Melissa Kang, and sexologist and counsellor Jodi Rodgers from the hit Netflix show Love on the Spectrum, as well as the voices of parents and carers of children with disability.
Ee-Lin Chang, senior health promotion officer at Family Planning NSW, said: “Through Planet Puberty, we’re giving parents and carers of children with intellectual disability and autism the tools to support them to live a more independent, healthy and happy life as they grow.
“We’ve really enjoyed the creativity and partnership of the GHO team – they’ve exceeded our expectations for what this resource could be.”
Hamish Stewart, creative partner at GHO Sydney, said: “We were delighted that Family Planning NSW were so willing to take a fun and relatable approach to what can be a challenging subject.”
Ryan Chao, design partner at GHO Sydney, said: “It was great to work so closely with Family Planning NSW on this project.
“The co-design team were especially crucial in invalidating our design decisions and helping build a truly accessible and inclusive website experience. We are so proud of the result.”
