We understand that finding the right swim instruction for your child with special needs or disabilities is crucial for their safety, comfort, and progress. Many swim centers may not fully understand the specific needs of these children, and you may need to advocate for appropriate instruction.
We have provided a template letter/email that you can use to communicate your needs to your local swim center or organization. This introduces them to Swim Whisperers®, a trusted certification program that equips instructors with the expertise to teach adaptive swimming.
Why Adaptive Swim Instruction Matters
Children with special needs may face unique challenges in the water, including:
Adaptive swim instructors are trained, via the Swim Whisperers® method, to address these challenges with:
Template Letter/Email
To make the request easy, here’s a persuasive email template. Simply copy and paste, fill in the details and send it off. It’s very straightforward. And, it shows your local swim school exactly how this benefits their team and clients.
Subject: Request for Adaptive Swim Instructor Training
Dear [Swim Center/Organization Name],
On behalf of the Special Needs and Disability community, I am requesting that you consider investing in specialized adaptive swim training for your swim instructors.
With over 3 million children in the US who have a disability*, the opportunity for the aquatic industry to better serve these individuals should be our number 1 priority. Additionally, the increasing prevalence of autism, with current US diagnoses at 1 in 31 children**, means that it is highly likely students at your swim school are attending lessons that are not adapted effectively enough, to help them learn in a way that meets their individual needs.
Learning to swim isn’t just a recreational activity; it’s a vital life skill, and for children with autism, ADHD, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, sensory sensitivities, or water anxiety, it’s absolutely crucial for water safety and preventing accidental drowning.
I encourage you to consider the Swim Whisperers® certification for your swim instructors. This program is designed to equip instructors with the specialized skills and knowledge necessary to effectively teach swimming to individuals with special needs.
The Swim Whisperers® course focuses on several key areas:
- Identifying the 14 most common challenges encountered by swimmers with special needs.
- Providing an assessment framework, including the 7 Areas of Focus.
- Teaching practical and easy-to-understand strategies and techniques, created by an OT/PT team.
- Real-life case studies.
- Implementation of skills to get immediate results.
These strategies and techniques can be readily applied during swim lessons to help swimmers of all abilities progress and master essential swim skills and water safety practices. Once learned, strategies can easily be applied to neuro-typical swimmers to help them make progress faster.
Investment Details:
Cost: $599 (Group Rates apply for 2 or more)
Format: Online, self-paced
Duration: 14 hours (approx. 1 hour per week to complete within 3 months)
Includes: 12-month access to course materials (Levelling up grants extended access), Swim Whisperers® Directory listing, Invitation to the private Facebook page and more.
You can read more about the course here: www.swimangelfish.com/cert
Investing in this type of training for your staff would make your facility more inclusive and better equipped to serve the needs of all children in our community.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name][Your Phone Number][Your Email Address]
* United Stated Census Bureau: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/03/united-states-childhood-disability-rate-up-in-2019-from-2008.html
** CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/ss/ss7402a1.htm?s_cid=ss7402a1_w#T2_down
Funding Support
We have a monthly scholarship funded by OAPP for swim instructors who need financial assistance for the adaptive Swim Whisperers® training.
We also work with foundations across the United States who provide funding for swim instructors to receive high-quality adaptive swim education.
