For as long as Jim Clark can remember, Willoughby Parks and Recreation strives to offer a well-rounded slate of programs to engage people of all needs.
But last year, a customer suggested one way the facility could even better serve those with special needs.
“They said, ‘Could you please schedule a recreation swim for families who have members with special needs?’” recalls Clark, program coordinator.
The city already offered adaptive programming, but this particular customer wanted an open-swim night when they could just relax with their families in an environment that feels safe.
Tailored event
Last summer, Willoughby offered its first Special Needs Swimming nights, one a month. Not only did these events see encouraging attendance — 25 to 46 families, depending on weather — but continual feedback from special-needs participants and their relatives has helped shape the event to accommodate these customers as much as possible.
For starters, one customer named the evening. But as each Special Needs Swimming session took place, participants would provide more input.
For instance, after the first event, one relative advised Clark and his team that the whistles used by lifeguards were too jarring for participants who had sensory issues. So, to mark the beginning and end of the session and safety breaks, or to otherwise alert attendees, the staff moved to using the public address system.
“We were a little more laid-back,” Clark says. “We still made people do things that were safe, but we weren’t tooting in our whistles. We were definitely interactive and calmly approaching things.”
The staff also learned that some participants need more preparation for the experience, while others need to be eased into transitions. For instance, it helped to instruct the families ahead of time about safety breaks and how they work.
An attendee helped with this communication by offering to make story boards that would illustrate certain procedures and rules. She took pictures and assembled the boards to help participants understand the locker room, showers, life jackets, waterfeatures and pool entries. This prepared them in advance, making the experience feel more comfortable and safe. The story boards were laminated so they could be posted on each Special Needs Swimming event.
Additionally, to minimize the kinds of transitions that can feel disruptive to some in this group, the staff only calls one safety break per night, rather than the normal one per hour.
With the success of the 2018 Special Needs Swimming sessions, Willoughby Parks and Rec plans to have at least one a month in 2019.
These evenings have not only benefitted those with special needs and their families. Through the new program and the families’ eagerness to make suggestions, the staff have learned lessons that they can apply to virtually all classes and settings. “By having the Special Needs Night, we’re getting an education on how to be more inclusive the rest of the time,” Clark says.
“That’s what I’m proudest of: We learned to listen and respond. And even once we respond, we need to keep listening [so we can] improve and make those relationships even better.”