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Imagine
yourself as a parent of a young child with a disability ready
to enroll in a swim class at the local community pool. Unfortunately,
all too often, one of the two following scenarios occurs. Scenario
one-you are told the only class available is a segregated one
for children with disabilities. Scenario two-you are allowed to
join a regular swim class only to find the instructor lacks experience
teaching children with disabilities, and/or the other children
and parents in the class display a lack of acceptance for your
child.
Research in the recreation and leisure
field has shown swimming to be one of the most popular community
leisure activities pursued (Edington, Hanson, Edington, &
Hudson, 1998). Perhaps the most rapidly expanding area of aquatics
has been swim programs for infants and preschoolers (Langendorfer,
1990). Before 1970, no standardized swim programs for children
under the age of six years existed in the United States, but by
the mid-1980s it was estimated that five to ten million children
under the age of six participated annually in structured swim
programs (Langendorfer, 1990). The trend of increased aquatic
activities for individuals with disabilities has also been evidenced.
Over the past decade, inclusion of people with disabilities in
community aquatic programs has also increased dramatically (Devine
& Broach, 1998; Rider & Modell, 1996).
Despite growing interests and benefits
of aquatic activities, a number of children with disabilities
continue to experience barriers accessing inclusive swim programs.
The purpose of this article is to discuss barriers encountered
in creating and maintaining an inclusive early childhood instructional
swim program. In addition, information is provided regarding developing
and implementing the Special Needs Aquatics Program (SNAP), an
early childhood swim program for children ages 6 months to 7 years
of age. This program is used to illustrate how specific barriers
have been overcome in creating such a program.
SNAP was developed at the University
of Wisconsin-Stevens Point as a vehicle for providing swim instruction
practicum experiences for undergraduate physical education students
seeking to be certified in adapted physical education. Several
classes of infant/toddler, preschool/parent, and Levels 1 and
2 utilizing the curriculum of the American Red Cross (1992) are
offered to children from the community during each session. The
program is marketed under the title of the Special Needs Aquatic
Program which emphasizes children with disabilities, though children
without disabilities are welcome to participate. Approximately
180 children are served in these classes per session, with about
10-15% of all children enrolled having some type of identified
disability. In the spring of 1999 a survey was conducted of 60
past SNAP members to ascertain information regarding the program's
teaching effectiveness and inclusive practices. Results of several
of these questions are presented and discussed in various sections
of this article.
Since the enactment of PL 94-142
(Education for all Handicapped Children Act-EHA) and its many
reauthorizations, strategies and resources have been available
to educate children with disabilities in public schools to the
maximum extent possible with peers without disabilities. From
this legislation, every eligible child with a disability has the
right to start in a regular education class setting (Editor's
note, Block, 1999). Though this legislation clearly indicates
alternative educational options (least restrictive environment)
are appropriate and legal, the term inclusion has been a prevalent
philosophy. Inclusion has been described as the practice of placing
children with disabilities in regular education settings and classes
(Block, 1994).
On January 26, 1990, President Bush
signed PL 101-336 (Americans With Disabilities Act-ADA). For most
businesses, including recreational facilities, this law requires
facilities to be physically accessible to persons with disabilities.
A major component of this Act is that individuals with disabilities
have access to the community and its recreation programs. The
main focus of ADA is not to force physical integration of persons
with disabilities into the community, but to provide them opportunities
to participate in community recreation programs (Suomi, 1992).
These federal mandates have paved
the way for children with disabilities to live, learn, and engage
in recreation settings with non-disabled peers (Schleien, Heyne,
Rynders, & Mcavoy, 1990). However, many recreational programs
are still segregated (Novak-Amado, 1996). The next sections examine
barriers specifically impeding community aquatics programs from
being inclusive. Barriers reviewed include (a) administrative,
(b) physical, and (c) attitudinal. Each barrier is explained utilizing
examples derived from developing and implementing SNAP.
Administrative Barriers (article cont'd). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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