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Home > Journals > IJARE > Vol. 15 > No. 1 (October 2025)

 

Disciplines

Curriculum and Instruction | Disability and Equity in Education | Disability Studies | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Exercise Science | Health and Physical Education | Kinesiology | Leisure Studies | Other Rehabilitation and Therapy | Public Health | Special Education and Teaching | Sports Sciences | Sports Studies

Abstract

When teaching children with disabilities, swim instructors need to be able to assess the unique strengths and needs of each child to determine modifications needed to instruction, equipment, and the setting and then be flexible enough to make changes in real-time to ensure success for the child. Unfortunately, many swim instructors only work seasonally and have the occasional child with a disability, and as a result are likely to have limited training and experiences with children with disabilities. The purpose of this pilot qualitative study is to examine backgrounds, training, and experiences of six swim instructors who work with children with disabilities. Through individual interviews, our goal was to learn how these swim instructors learn about, instruct, and accommodate students with disabilities in their swim clubs. Three main themes were gleaned from the data. These included: (1) “limited formal training and learning on the job,” (2) “learning about the child/parents can be very helpful,” and (3) “not that different from teaching children without disabilities.” Each theme is presented with quotes to support findings, and the paper concludes with a discussion of each theme and implications for swim instructors who work with children with disabilities.

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