Swim Angelfish Featured on the Shining Through: Inspiring Voices of Autism Podcast

At Swim Angelfish, our mission has always been simple: make the water safer and more accessible for swimmers of all abilities.

That’s why we’re excited to share that Swim Angelfish was recently featured on the Shining Through: Inspiring Voices of Autism podcast, hosted by Jennifer Dantzler of Inspire ND. In this thoughtful conversation, our co-founder, Cindy Freedman, OT, discusses one of the topics we’re most passionate about: adaptive water safety and creating meaningful, individualized aquatic experiences for all ages and abilities.

In the episode, Cindy shares practical strategies for helping swimmers develop life-saving water safety skills while creating positive, individualized learning experiences that build confidence in and around the water.

Water Safety Is More Than Swim Lessons

One of the biggest takeaways from the episode is understanding the important difference between water safety skills and traditional swim lessons. While learning swimming strokes is valuable, developing practical water safety skills is what helps reduce drowning risk and builds confidence in and around the water.

Cindy also shares why adaptive teaching strategies are so important for swimmers who learn differently and how small adjustments can make a meaningful impact for both families and aquatic professionals.

Practical Tips You Can Use Right Away

During the conversation, Cindy and Jennifer discuss:

  • The difference between water safety and swim lessons
  • Why adaptive swim instruction matters
  • Simple strategies families can begin using immediately
  • Free resources available for parents, caregivers, educators, therapists, and swim instructors

Whether you’re supporting a swimmer with autism, another disability, or simply looking to create a more inclusive aquatic environment, the episode is full of practical, encouraging advice.

Listen to the Full Episode

If you’re a parent, swim instructor, therapist, aquatic professional, or passionate advocate for water safety, we hope you’ll take a few minutes to listen to this inspiring conversation.

A heartfelt thank you to Inspire ND and Jennifer Dantzler for inviting us to be part of the podcast and for helping spread the message that water safety is for everyone.

Continuing the Conversation About Water Safety

Our mission has always been to help make water safety accessible to every swimmer and every family. Conversations like this podcast are just one way we can share what we’ve learned over more than 25 years of working alongside children with diverse abilities, their families, therapists, educators, and aquatic professionals.

That’s also why we’ve created free resources like our Adaptive Water Safety Toolkit, designed to help families and professionals build safer habits in and around the water through practical strategies, videos, and printable tools. For younger learners, our Water Safety Activity Book offers a fun, engaging way to reinforce important safety concepts both at home and in the classroom.

Because when more people have access to the right knowledge and resources, together we can help make the water a safer place for everyone.

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.