11-year-old Ruby has been swimming at Kwinana Recquatic in Specialised Access and Inclusion Lessons (SAIL) since she was just two years old and to her, the program means much more than just swimming lessons.

Ruby is legally blind, has level three Autism Spectrum Disorder and an intellectual disability. Without the SAIL program, Ruby wouldn’t have had the opportunity to learn to swim as she needs lessons specifically designed for her.

The SAIL program is offered to people of all ages with an intellectual, physical or behavioural issue or impairment who need individual attention or reduced distraction from other swimmers. It teaches basic water safety skills for those with special needs, and those who might require extra help to gain confidence in the water.

Supported by the WA Swim and Survive Fund, Royal Life Saving WA is able to provide the funding required to run SAIL programs at Kwinana Recquatic.

Group lessons aren’t always an option and one-on-one lessons can be expensive, meaning that children can often miss out, leaving them extremely vulnerable to drowning.

Ruby’s teachers have had to adapt all her lessons to accommodate her disabilities, including using different temperatures to teach her freestyle, or introducing new equipment for texture on her feet when she was young and before she learnt to use her hands.

Now, Ruby can walk to the side of the pool, feel the grate and edge, sit down and slide into the water independently.

The lessons Ruby has received and the trust she has in her teachers has allowed her to gain confidence in the water and she can now swim in her home pool while her younger brother is splashing around her.

Also, Ruby can get into the water by her family’s boat, float on her back and swim back to the boat independently with just her family’s voices guiding her.

But it isn’t just her swimming ability she’s making progress with! Ruby’s mobility has also greatly improved. When she was younger, her movements were only vertical but now she can bend her knees during swimming, which she couldn’t do before. This has assisted in her learning to use the steps and ladders at the pool.

This wouldn’t have been possible for Ruby without access to lessons. To learn more about the SAIL program, click the link below!