Going swimmingly: Temerty Medicine students help grow aquatics program for kids with disabilities

A group of medical students at the University of Toronto are making a splash as they help kids with intellectual and developmental disabilities learn to swim. SWAM Toronto is the local chapter of a national non-profit organization that offers affordable, inclusive one-on-one swimming lessons for children with disabilities between the ages of three and 18. The initiative is part of a grassroots program, Swimming With a Mission, that began in Montreal in 2009.

Michelle Gandelman and Claire Del Zotto are second-year students at U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, and co-leaders of SWAM Toronto. They recently spoke with writer Erin Howe about the growing program.

How did you become involved with SWAM?

Del Zotto: I had volunteered with community organizations that support adults with disabilities; many loved to visit the pool but couldn’t swim. I thought that if they had been given opportunities to learn earlier, they would probably be able to swim now. Then I learned that a SWAM chapter had just re-started at U of T that year. I also had experience teaching swimming, so I decided to volunteer.

Gandelman: I learned about the program through my mentor, Bernadette McCann, who re-started the local program and was co-lead with Aathmika Nandan. I had been a rhythmic gymnast for a long time and had coached the sport in my hometown, Ottawa. Through that experience, I was exposed to gymnasts with disabilities and diverse needs. I wanted to continue coaching and SWAM provided a great way to do that.

What skill level are the classes geared to?

Del Zotto: We help kids at every level, from those just learning about water safety and how to swim, to others who are beginning to dive or do more advanced strokes like butterfly.

How do kids access this program?

Gandelman: The program was paused in 2020 and resumed last year. Many of the kids were previously enrolled with us, which is fabulous because we have this continuity with a lot of the families who give us feedback to improve the program.

Some of our newer members found us through word of mouth, their schools or Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Families can also check out our website.

What does it cost to register?

Gandelman: One of our goals is to offer our lessons affordably. Many of the kids we see need one-on-one attention and private classes are expensive — they can cost as much as $60 or more for a single class. We’re able to offer seven 30-minute classes for a total of $40 and the same number of hour-long classes for $60.

Del Zotto: We’ve been fortunate to have received grants. The University of Toronto’s Medical Society has also helped keep us afloat. The registration fee families pay helps cover the cost of lifeguards and vulnerable sector checks, which all our volunteers must do.

Tell me about the instructors.

Del Zotto: When I started volunteering, I was one of just two medical students involved. The other was in fourth year and getting ready to graduate. The rest of the instructors were undergraduate students.

This year, we wanted to promote this program to our classmates. It's a great learning experience for medical students. We now have 30 volunteer instructors, about 80 per cent of whom are medical students. We're also affiliated with the MD Program’s health in the community curriculum initiative. This means students can get credits volunteering through SWAM, which has allowed us to provide lessons to 27 swimmers, up from 16 last year.

In addition to the growth SWAM has experienced, what else is new this year?

Del Zotto: This year we began to allow siblings into the program because we recognize that though the siblings might not need the one-on-one attention, the siblings of children with disabilities statistically tend to struggle more with isolation and are more likely to feel left out of things their sibling gets to do.

I remember last year thinking it kind of unfair that the siblings had to sit on the pool deck during lessons. So, we’ve opened the program to them as well. It's so nice to watch the siblings grow together and see the parents so proud.

Right now, we offer classes at a downtown pool but we’re exploring the possibility of expanding into other areas to better support families who can’t make it to the city’s core.

Can you tell me about some of the successes that you've been able to help participants achieve?

Gandelman: A couple of stories really stood out.

One swimmer wanted to join his school’s swim team, so we matched him with an instructor with competitive swimming experience. The swimmer picked up his speed and learned to tread water better. He’s since been named to his school’s team.

Another example is a child who joined earlier this year. Her mother recently mentioned that she’s more comfortable with her daughter swimming at the family’s cottage after the progress the girl has made in her classes.

We also have watched our swimmers refine their communication skills including expressing needs to an instructor, being receptive to feedback, and using non-verbal cues to express interest. Many of our instructors have noted that their swimmers have become more comfortable asking for help and persevering when faced with challenges.

The growth we see in our in our swimmers is exciting.

Del Zotto: And we see growth in other ways, too. Some of the parents want their kids to know not to run around the pool deck, or to become comfortable wearing a lifejacket and to know that they can't go in the water without one.

We see those small wins in all the kids, especially the younger ones at the highest risk of danger around water.

Medical school is busy. Why is this something you wanted to make time for?

Del Zotto: It's meaningful, fun and helps us build skills. And it’s a great way to get exercise and make friends.

Gandelman: Programs like these fill your cup and are such a lovely way to give back to the community and learn while doing it.