Swimming NZ continues to provide valuable support via Disability Swimming Fund

Swimming NZ is continuing their support for individuals living with a disability to access swimming and advises they have been able to provide financial support to 28 successful applicants from across country as part of the latest round of their Disability Swimming Fund.

The Disability Swimming Fund has been designed for individuals with a disability aged six - 24 years to offer opportunities in the world of swimming. Whether it be acquiring adaptive equipment or specialised coaching, the goal of Swimming NZ is to make swimming accessible for all.

Swimming NZ notes “we strongly believe that one of the most important life skills is learning to swim, and that it unlocks endless opportunities in and around the water, so this is one way we are looking to help people with a disability to ‘Unlock Their Greatness’ in the water.’

In the most recent round, Swimming NZ have been able to provide financial support to 28 successful applicants, which when combined with the 109 successful applicants from the round of funding shared in July earlier this year, shows Swimming NZ to have contributed $30,000 to support people with a disability to access learn to swim lessons through the fund.

Swimming NZ Disability and Para Swimming Participation Manager, Cameron Leslie, acknowledges the importance of enabling swimming to be more accessible and advises "Statistically, we know raising a child with a disability can be more expensive. We also know for those living with an impairment gaining water confidence or learning how to swim can take longer depending on the individual's impairment(s)."

Swimming NZ explain this to be the driving force behind developing the Disability Swimming Fund - to be a connector between the varying levels of learning to swim and participating in recreational and/or organised club swimming.

Leslie also noted that learning how to swim with an impairment can be really hard and adds "as hard as it is to admit, sometimes having a swim school open to learn and work with a swimmer's impairment type can be hard. This fund and the success of it is proof and reassurance the learn to swim space is becoming more accessible - and if we can play a small part in supporting that then we are doing our bit."

The breakdown of Swimming NZ support for each region is:

• Auckland 14% (4)

• Hawke's Bay 39% (11)

• Northland 18% (5)

• Manawatu 4% (1)

• Otago 4% (1)

• Southland 4% (1)

• Taranaki 14% (4)

• Wellington 4% (1)

Breakdown of Impairment Types
Swimming NZ has also been able to support multiple impairment types in this round of the Disability Swimming Fund. A brief summary included 82% of recipients in this round being part of the neuro-diverse community, 14% of recipients having a physical impairment, 11% of recipients having a visual impairment and 4% a hearing impairment.

A full breakdown is:

• Autism 54% (15)

• Intellectual Impairments18% (5)

• Physical Impairment 14% (4)

• Down Syndrome 11% (3)

• Vision Impairment 11% (3)

• Hearing Impairment 4% (1)

• Other4% (1)

Leslie shared "we constantly receive positive feedback from whanau (families). Not only is a fund like this rare, but it has the participant at its centre - we want to encourage and support whanau not make it harder. For our neuro-diverse community, there are very few (if any) sporting funds available to assist them. So we get heaps of positive feedback from whanau in that space around their appreciation and acknowledgment of an impairment which is often not seen."

For more information on the programmes and support Swimming NZ are offering to swimmers with a disability visit their Disability Swimming Webpage 

For those interested in supporting Swimming NZ in the delivery of this fund by contributing funds, email dsf@swimming.org.nz