Special Swimming Activity, a Recommend Program for Persons with Disabilities (PWD)

Abstract

A special swimming program for the students with disabilities was started in summer year 2016 when the researcher was privileged and invited to make a physical education program in a Special Education (SPED) School in Quezon City, Philippines, through the initiative of its directress to offer a swimming lesson specifically designed for learners with disabilities (the activity just stopped due to Covid-19 pandemic). The school has 70 students with different disabilities and level of mental health problems. The directress was in need of physical activity program that she believed will enhance the total personality development of her students [22, 11]. She was hesitant at first to have the outdoor program due to the high risk responsibility, a venue outside the school, and how the students react to the environment, in a swimming program that is new to them [13]. The partnership envisioned that the water activity provides significant benefits for children with disabilities [32, 33] that regular participation in the program would also promote positive advancements physically, can increase competency in gross motor skills, enhance fitness level, improve self-esteem, social skills, encourage and maintain a motivation to improve their health and raise their level of enjoyment [9, 21, 10].