Empowering All
Our Inclusion Statement
We aim to be inclusive and welcoming in our sport, seeking to empower everyone to participate in a safe and enjoyable environment, where everyone is treated with the same level of respect, equality and importance.
Participation Opportunities
Get Swimming
Programmes & events which cater for all
Open Water Programmes
Open Water swimming caters for all ages and abilities of swimmer. From young splashers to older dippers, and everyone in between.
Learn to Swim
Our Learn to Swim programme will empower and inspire children to challenge themselves on their own personal journey of learning to swim.
Join a Club
Find a Swim Ireland affiliated club near you!
Pop-Up Pool
The Pool that comes to the People: Swim Ireland’s Pop-Up Pool!
Check out our Pop-Up Pools and book your swim now!
Disability
Awards & Commitment
Swim Ireland have recently achieved the Active Disability Ireland Silver Xcessible Award and will now work towards achieving Gold.
We have also signed up to the Active Disability Ireland Sport Inclusion Charter and encourage associated organisations to sign up!
Disability
Resources
Xcessible Programme
The Xcessible programme is an inclusive programme designed for National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) and Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) to positively and meaningfully provide opportunities for people with disabilities to take part in sport and physical activity.
Xcessible Club Toolkit
The Xcessible Club Toolkit is a guided resource that will empower clubs to positively and meaningfully provide opportunities for people with disabilities to take part in sport and physical activity at a local level.
Useful Resources
Find all the Disability Awareness Resources you need
Disability Inclusion Training Workshops
Active Disability Ireland coordinates, develops and delivers inclusive training and education workshops across the Sport, Fitness, Adventure and Education sectors. All our workshops are designed to equip participants with the knowledge, competence and skills necessary to include people with disabilities in sport and physical activity, and increase quality provision.
Active Disability Ireland Sport Inclusion Disability Charter
Sport and physical activity are central to the fabric of life in Ireland. As citizens of this state, people with disabilities have a right to be active within their local communities. In our efforts to truly understand what it is really like for a person with a disability to be active in Ireland, we carried out nationwide focus groups with people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities.
Pathways for All
Competition Pathway
From Future Challenger to National Championships, Swim Ireland provide an inclusive pathway. Swimmers must be members of a Swim Ireland affiliated club to participate in club, Regional or National competitions.
Pathways for All
Para Swimming
As the National Governing Body of the aquatics on the island of Ireland, Swim Ireland is committed to working closely with Active Disability Ireland and Disability Sport Northern Ireland in providing participation opportunities as well as suitable daily training environments and competitions for Irish swimmers with a disability. Swim Ireland also work with Paralympics Ireland, Deaf Sport Ireland, and Irish Down Syndrome Swimming Association to support swimmers in clubs and to provide inclusive competitive opportunities for swimmers with a disability. The details for classification and pathway relevant for Para swimmers can be viewed through the link below.
Pathways for All
Disability Swimming
Deaf swimming is not included in the IPC classification, and they do not compete at the Paralympic Games. Elite Deaf or hard of hearing swimmers compete at the Deaflympics and the talent and performance pathway sits with Deaf Sport Ireland. Full information about classification is available by contacting Ben O’Looney (admin@deafsportireland.com).
Down Syndrome is not included as a class in IPC classification, and they can’t compete at the Paralympic Games. Special Olympics does not have a specific classification for athletes with Down Syndrome and selection to international competition is by a lottery system rather than on performance level. The Down Syndrome International Swimming Organisation (DSISO) are the international governing body that runs performance-based international competitions for athletes with Trisomy 21 and mosaic Trisomy 21. Full information about the pathway for swimmers with Down Syndrome is available by contacting the Irish Down’s Syndrome Sporting Organisation.
Policies
Diversity & Inclusion Policy
This Policy provides a set of guiding principles that goes beyond what is required by law or regulation in promoting equality and preventing discrimination. Its aim is to provide a culture within our sport that is inclusive for all and sets out our expectations for the conduct of activity that falls under our direct remit such as within our Clubs, Regions, Teams, Education and Programmes. In addition, we expect that any organisation or individual with whom we work will adhere to the principles and spirit of the policy and our guidelines.
Resources
Me, My Child & the Water
The Swim Ireland ‘Me, my Child and the Water’ resource is aimed at parents and carers of children with disabilities. It will also help swimming teachers to support children in their lessons. This resource is a guide outlining how swimmers with a disability can plan their visit and access the pool safely.
Funding
Dormant Accounts Funding
To support the development of future leaders in sport, €300,000 has been invested in Youth Leadership programmes across a variety of National Governing Bodies.
An investment of €400,000 into the Aspire Graduate Programme will enable recently qualified sport and physical activity graduates to gain relevant experience in sector-based organisations.
