Two in five children in the UK have had difficulty accessing swimming pools or classes due to attitudes to their hearing issues, according to the NDCS.
Read: The NDCS UK guide on Deaf-Friendly Swimming
We suggest printing (laminating?) certain pages for your child’s teacher and sharing the guide, to ensure deaf children have a chance to learn to swim.
Swimming teachers can use hand gestures or visual aids to communicate with pupils who are deaf: health & safety concerns should not be an issue.
In Ireland, the Water Babies swimming classes can be attended by babies from birth, owing to the warm water in the pools used during the sessions. There’s really no excuse not to enjoy safe, waterside fun this summer!
