How to Host An Adaptive Water Safety Day in Your Community!

Hosting an adaptive water safety community event is a fantastic way to raise awareness and impact drowning prevention. For families with special needs children, access to water safety education is incredibly vital. These events foster inclusion, build confidence, teach life-saving skills and create a safer, more comfortable relationship with water for everyone.

Ready to host an autism and special needs event? This guide will walk you through things you need to know to plan and execute a successful Adaptive Water Safety Day.

Planning the Event: The Details

Ready to make a difference? When planning your event, there are certain elements that you must get right to help things get off to a smooth start. Here are 5 details you need to get right:

  • Choose a Date and Time
    Sounds self-explanatory, right? But important consideration should go into when most community members are likely to be available, think about integrating into an existing daytime routine for your participants. The attendees may not have the patience or waiting skills like typical children, so consider how long the event should run for, we recommend a maximum of 2 hours.
  • Select the Location
    Choosing the right location is crucial for a successful adaptive water safety day. First, determine if the event will be private or if the pool will remain open to the public. Consider the accessibility of the facility, including parking, entrances, and the pool itself. Think about whether family changing rooms or dedicated areas are available. The pool deck needs to be spacious enough for multiple families and instructors to move comfortably.

    Additionally, assess if the pool offers a quiet area where participants can learn and engage with resources without distractions. The noise level at the host pool can significantly impact the event’s success, so choose a location that fosters a calm environment. Finally, the depth of the pool is a critical factor for safety and instruction. Once you’ve evaluated these aspects, you can decide how many families and participants you can comfortably host.

  • Team Skills and Knowledge
    In our experience, the most important part of a successful water safety event is having staff who have specialized adaptive swim training like a certification in the Swim Whisperers® method. Build upon your existing water safety programs, and add critical adaptive skills for your staff to feel confident they know how to work with swimmers with a wide range of sensory sensitivities, disabilities and special needs. This way, they will be able to cope with any behaviors they see during the event.
  • Promote the Event and Get Registrations
    How do you spread the word to individuals most at risk? Get creative with posters, use social media and local newspapers. Reach out to organizations that provide services such as ABA Therapy, OT/PT/Speech therapy, adaptive recreation and special education as they will be likely to have many families who would be interested in gaining critical water safety skills. Providing advanced notice for families to plan and schedule this day into their calendar is important. Getting attendees to complete registration will be an important tool in helping you manage participants on the day.
  • Designate a Lead Organizer
    To ensure the event runs smoothly, designate someone to lead and manage the planning of the event, registration and bringing it to life on the day. Someone with great operational management or marketing skills would shine in this role!

These steps offer a glimpse into the essential planning required for your event. Beyond them, a successful day hinges on understanding your participants’ specific needs, thoroughly educating caregivers and support staff beforehand, as well as meeting all health and safety requirements. These are just a few of the many elements you need to cover during your planning stage.

Running the Event: Activities and Content

Developing an agenda that covers all the critical water safety experiences that adaptive communities need can be challenging. We have first-hand experience of delivering successful adaptive water safety days, our own as well as in conjunction with local government districts.

Here are 5 winning ideas for you to include in your agenda:

  • Engage Community Influencers
    To elevate your adaptive water safety event, consider working with key community leaders and experts who can help you make a difference in your community. Imagine the impact of having your local District Attorney (DA), City Council members, first responders or drowning prevention foundation representatives on hand. For even greater success, adaptive water safety pioneers like Cindy Freedman or Ailene Tisser, the founders of Swim Angelfish, can bring unparalleled knowledge to your event. Inviting the media to your event, will raise awareness in your community. Want to see the media coverage from one of our events? Checkout our media spotlight YouTube playlist.
  • Demonstrations
    When planning demonstrations, remember that adaptive water safety days require a different approach. Unlike typical events where participants might have longer attention spans, this group will benefit from short, focused demonstrations and easy-to-understand instructions.

    Instead of lengthy explanations, prioritize hands-on, practical skills. For instance, it would be valuable to show participants how to hold a rescue tube or properly put on a lifejacket. Keep it concise, clear, and directly applicable to immediate water safety skills.

  • Adaptive Water Safety Stations
    Design an unforgettable experience based on our Adaptive Water Safety Toolkit, by creating at least three distinct adaptive water safety stations. These hands-on stations will provide invaluable opportunities for participants to actively practice critical skills, from mastering life jacket usage and rescue equipment to learning safe routines and other vital water behaviors.

    TIP: Success hinges on thoughtfully grouping participants based on their comfort level with water – distinguishing between those who naturally seek the water and those who tend to avoid it will ensure a supportive and effective learning environment for everyone.

  • Adaptive Swim Experience
    Our recommendation is for each swimmer to have a 1:1 caregiver that accompanies them throughout the entire event. When planning your in-water segment, consider the core swim skills that can be effectively taught to a large group of participants and their caregivers simultaneously. We found it beneficial to focus on:

    • Holding the side: A foundational skill for stability and independence.
    • Finding feet to stand: Encouraging self-rescue and a sense of control.
    • Submersion: Building confidence and familiarity with water over the head.

    These targeted skills proved to be the most impactful during our short time in the pool, laying the groundwork for water safety and comfort.

    TIP: Safety should be your number 1 priority, so make sure that each instructor working in the water has specialized skills and knowledge to teach swimming to those with special needs. Caregivers and Parents should also be briefed on essential adaptive swim requirements, you can direct them to watch our adaptive swim life-changing tips.

  • Information, Games and Activities
    Ensuring that there are engaging activities and opportunities for participants not actively in the water, is crucial for a successful event. While one group awaits their Adaptive Swim Experience, thoughtfully designed off-deck activities can enhance their learning and enjoyment.

    TIP: One effective strategy is to have each instructor stand in front of their swimmer. When they introduce themselves and offer a high-five, they can use this as an opportunity to lead a dry-land demonstration of freestyle arm movements. This type of active, visual learning keeps the energy high and reinforces the concept of emerging front crawl arm movement, before they enter the water.

    Also, don’t underestimate how powerful it is to have rescue tubes for this group to discover, touch, feel and explore.

Through hands-on experience running our own Adaptive Water Safety Days, we’ve gained invaluable insights into the differences when running a typical water safety day. While our top 5 agenda ideas offer a fantastic foundation, the real challenge—and opportunity—lies in effectively managing behaviors, communication, and engagement for a large group of special needs kids. This is especially critical for neurodiverse individuals and those with disabilities where specialized adaptive education and an adaptable agenda aren’t just important; they’re essential for a successful day.

Work with us through a consultation, and we’ll help you navigate the planning process, including crucial risk management, so you can host an unforgettable and safe event.

How Can We Help?

We understand that every community is unique. That’s why our consultation services are tailored to help you design an event that resonates with your local needs and resources.

We’ll work with you every step of the way, drawing upon our expertise to ensure your event is a resounding success. From planning, management and following up after the event – we’ve got the experience and knowledge to share with you.

Ready to take the plunge and make a real difference in your community’s water safety awareness? Contact us today for a consultation and let’s start planning your community’s life-saving event!

Our consultation services provide the expert guidance and support you need to host a successful and impactful adaptive water safety day. Let us help you create an event that not only raises awareness but also empowers all your community members to enjoy the water safely.

Ailene Tisser, MA, PT, Founder

Ailene Tisser, a pediatric Physical Therapist with over 30 years of experience and co-founder of Swim Angelfish® and the Swim Whisperers® method, specializes in aquatic therapy and adaptive swim for children with special needs. Trained in NDT, DIR/Floortime, and certified as an Autism Specialist and Primitive Reflex Specialist she fosters water safety, confidence, and independence in her young clients. Ailene is also passionate about educating aquatic professionals, setting a standard of excellence for adaptive aquatics training and professional development.

Cindy Freedman, MOTR, Founder

Cindy, MS, OTR/L is an occupational and recreational therapist with over 30 years of experience specializing in pediatrics and aquatics. Driven by a passion for helping children with special needs reach their full potential, Cindy co-founded Swim Angelfish, an organization dedicated to providing adaptive swim and aquatic therapy services as well as professional training. Her expertise in sensory integration, reflex repatterning, and aquatics, coupled with her love for water and experience as a national champion diver, has enabled her to make a profound impact on the lives of countless children. Cindy is certified as an Autism Specialist by IBCCES, and shows an unwavering commitment to improving the lives of children with special needs.