Swim Ireland is thrilled to be announced as an awardee of the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund 4.0.
The funding awarded will support the expansion of the Swim Access Project, allowing Swim Ireland to roll out the initiative nationwide and target 100 swimming pools over the next year.
Swim Ireland would like to thank Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley TD, Minister of State Emer Higgins TD, as well as Rethink Ireland, which is managing the fund on behalf of the Department of Children, Disability and Equality.
Speaking on the announcement, Swim Ireland’s Aisling McKeever (Head of Education and Clubs) said: “The Swim Access project is a truly collaborative initiative with accessibility at its heart. People with a disability have been integral to the design, development and delivery of the swimming pool accessibility audit in the pilot study of three pools in Dublin City Centre. With the additional funding we are excited to launch the next phase which will be a broader national rollout, targeting 100 swimming pools in the next year.”
Swim Ireland, in partnership with Active Disability Ireland, St. Michael’s House, Dublin City Council and Ireland Active have developed an accessibility audit tool for swimming pools, called Swim Access. The tool is a digital assessment of the full experience a person with a disability has when visiting a swimming pool. This includes advance research on the pool’s website, accessibility of the external and internal environments in and around the pool and using the pool itself.
How the project works:
The Swim Access Project operates through a structured, disability‑led process designed to improve accessibility in public swimming pools. First, a cross‑sector partnership was established, bringing together national governing bodies, disability organisations, local authorities and people with lived experience of disability to agree a shared, rights‑based approach. Disabled people were then engaged as co‑designers through accessible focus groups to identify real barriers across the full swimmer journey, from arrival to pool exit.
Next, existing national and international accessibility audits were reviewed and adapted into a swimming‑specific framework grounded in Universal Design principles. This framework is built into a digital, mobile‑first audit tool that uses clear language, objective yes/no questions and photographic evidence to ensure consistency.
People with disabilities are recruited and trained as auditors using accessible, practical training modules. Supported audits are then carried out in selected swimming pools, with audits conducted over multiple visits.
Audit data is automatically compiled into structured reports, which are shared directly with facility operators. Findings support evidence‑based improvements, sector benchmarking, and informed decision‑making for policy, funding and future rollout.
Next steps:
Over the funding period, the project will scale its impact by transitioning from pilot delivery to structured rollout. The digital accessibility audit tool will be finalised and maintained, with training resources used to support Local Sports Partnerships recruit and train local auditors with disabilities. Additional swimming pools will be audited, increasing availability of reliable, standardised accessibility data. Sector engagement will continue with leisure operators and national bodies to embed the tool within quality and funding frameworks. Aggregated audit data will support national benchmarking, inform policy and investment decisions, and build a sustainable model for ongoing delivery and long‑term national implementation.
