Adaptive Water Safety Party

Swim Angelfish hosted our first annual Adaptive Water Safety Party on July 8, 2023! We partnered with the EQUIP pro-bono clinic at Quinnipiac University to create this special event for our community, where 26 Physical Therapy students volunteered for this event. We collaborated with the students for 6 months prior to the event, planning for success and ensuring it was meaningful for both the students as well as the families that attended.

Collaborating with Water Safety Partners

Adaptive Water Safety Party
Adaptive Water Safety Party

The students made over 60 aquatic themed sensory bottles for the children who attended. We also partnered with two large non-profit water safety organizations; the Joshua Collingsworth Memorial Foundation and Stop Drowning Now. We had an exciting in-person visit from Josh the Otter, which one of our volunteers proudly wore as a life-sized costume to entertain the kids. We read his story to the group to promote the importance of their message ‘swim-float-swim’ when you are in the water. We shared specialized safety tips from our adaptive water safety toolkit as well. Stop Drowning Now generously provided coloring books and word searches related to water safety, that the families could also take home.

Experiencing Adaptive Water Safety In-Person

The Swim Angelfish Staff ran 3 in-water stations for our swimmers to experience.

Our in-water stations focused on:

Adaptive Water Safety Party - life jackets
Adaptive Water Safety Party - Using Rescue Equipment
Adaptive Water Safety Party - Practicing Safe Routines

  • 3. Practicing Safe Routines
    Independent swimmers learned a routine to keep them safe should they ever experience falling into a body of water. This involved jumping into deep water, swimming to the side, making a train along the wall to the ladder, and safely climbing out.

Some additional things we practiced were patiently waiting and making sure the area was safe before jumping in and always asking permission from an adult before going into the water for everyone.

Getting Involved with our next Adaptive Water Safety Party

This event was for individuals with special needs that are part of our Swim Angelfish program. We hope to expand this incredible opportunity next year, to reach more members of our community. Sign up to our newsletter and follow us on our social channels to be the first to know about our next event!

If you want more information on how to help your swimmer become safer in the water, download our free adaptive water safety kit today!

Looking for Aquatic Therapist Training?

We can give you the tools you need to help special needs clients achieve therapy goals and improve their independence in the water.

Learn new treatment and handling techniques, understand how to integrate reflexes and overcome roadblocks to help your pediatric clients achieve their therapy goals. We have 4 in-depth online courses to choose from.

Our online training courses will help you strengthen your aquatic therapy skills and allow you to earn CEU’s. Our on-demand platform makes learning flexible to fit into your schedule.

Dive into Our Specialized Pediatric Aquatic Therapy Program!

The unique program that Swim Angelfish offers is created by an OT/PT team with over 60 years combined experience. We have experienced Recreation, Occupational, and Physical therapists who are specifically trained in pediatric aquatic therapy. We use a fun, innovative and multi-sensory approach using the therapeutic properties of the water to reach your specific therapy goals.

We can help improve self-regulation, motor coordination, strength, balance, endurance, and more. There are several options for therapy sessions depending on your needs, including private, semi-private, and small group sessions.

Ailene Tisser, MA, PT, Founder

Ailene is a pediatric Physical Therapist with more than 25 years of experience treating a variety of diagnoses, both in and out of the water. She is NDT (Neuro-Developmental Treatment) trained in pediatrics and is trained in DIR/Floortime. She is currently certified as an Autism Specialist by IBCCES. Ailene brings all of her Physical Therapy expertise into the water, where she helps children of all abilities feel safe, confident, and independent. She combines her passion and skill for working with children with special needs with the therapeutic properties of the water to achieve amazing results. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience by educating other Aquatic Professionals so that they can also make a significant impact on the lives of swimmers with special needs.

Cindy Freedman, MOTR, Founder

Cindy is a recreational therapist and an Occupational therapist. After working for ten years as a recreational therapist in a variety of settings, she pursued a Master’s degree in OT. Her career as an OT includes specialty training in sensory integration, reflex repatterning, and aquatics. She is currently certified as an Autism Specialist by IBCCES. As a swimmer and national champion diver, Her love of the water combined with her education and work experience created them an opportunity for Swim Angelfish to become a reality! “Our mission is to create an aquatic community of trained instructors so that together we can decrease the alarming statistic of drowning being the leading cause of death for children with special needs.”