Children with disabilities encouraged to learn to swim

Parents in Dundee have been encouraged to send children with disabilities to mainstream swimming lessons as part of a new national campaign.

Scottish Swimming has launched its See My Ability initiative to get parents talking more openly about their child’s disability.

As part of the campaign, swimming instructors will be provided with a resource toolkit to help them teach and coach classes in an inclusive way.

The Learn To Swim programme, created in partnership by Scottish Swimming and Scottish Water, provides a pathway for children with physical, sensory and learning impairments to learn new skills.

The programme will be delivered locally by Leisure and Culture Dundee but will also be available in centres nationwide.

Lesley Hendry, aquatic development manager at Leisure and Culture Dundee, said: “We teach all children in an inclusive way at Leisure and Culture Dundee and it is great to get these additional resources to support our swimming teachers as we continue to grow our programme.”

Leisure and Culture Dundee delivers the Learn to Swim programme in the three pools in the city, with Dundee University, Dundee City Aquatics, Menzieshill Whitehall Swimming and Water Polo Club also partnering Scottish Swimming and Scottish Water to teach children from birth upwards.

Paul Wilson, disability performance development manager at Scottish Swimming said he hoped learning the skill could become an “activity for all regardless of ability or disability”.