Participation in sport and recreation make an important contribution to the health and wellbeing of all people, particularly those with disabilities. However, due to physical and attitudinal barriers, people with disabilities often face challenges when trying to make these activities a part of their everyday life.

Royal Life Saving WA is committed to providing innovative and targeted swimming lessons to support these individuals and families, by breaking down the barriers to their participation, with the aim of providing all West Australians with an opportunity to learn essential swimming and water safety skills.

According to Pearn and Franklin, 2013, ‘’the buoyancy of water and the sense of subjective weightlessness is enriching for children who are physically weak or paralyzed by neuromuscular disease. For others, the acquisition of swimming skills promotes a feeling of equality in those to whom equality of achievement is so often denied.’’

As of 2022, 5.5 million Australians (21.4%), live with a disability. Statistics such as those presented by Autism Swim highlight a real concern for the safety of children with disabilities. They state that more than 50% of children on the autism spectrum wander, often gravitating towards bodies of water, and that children on the autism spectrum are 160 times more likely to drown than their peers.

A lack of suitable targeted swimming and water safety education for children with disabilities, as well as higher costs and limited access are creating barriers for families to access the one-on-one support their children require to learn basic swimming and water safety skills.

Royal Life Saving WA recognises the need for change, and in a first step towards addressing the issue has established the Royal Life Saving WA Disability Steering Committee.
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