This page is intended to aggregate all information related to Disability Swimming within USA Swimming. Links, or suggested content are welcome to be sent to the Webmster.
Notes from LSC Disability Swimming Workshop, April 3-5, 2009
Article 105 Case Studies: Inclusion of Swimmers
with Disabilities at USA Swimming Competitions
Including Swimmers with a Disability
A Guide for Swimmers and Parents
A Guide for Coaches
( Training and Conditioning for Swimmers with Disabilities )
( Coaching Swimmers with Disabilities: Stroke Technique )
A Guide for Officials
( Hints for Starters )
A Guide for Meet Directors
( Safety/Risk Management and the Inclusion of Swimmers with Disabilities )
A Guide for Local Swimming Committees
( Role of the LSC Disability Chair )
Links to Resources from USA Swimming
USA Swimming - Disability Page
USA Swimming - Disability Resources
Disability Sport Organizations
The following organizations offer disability-specific swimming competitions. In some cases, the organizations also offer athlete development programs such as clubs/swimming practices, camps, and clinics. The international organizations conduct quadrennial multi-sports competitions analogous to the Olympic Games: (a) the International Parlympic Committee conducts Paralympic Games in the same years as Olympic Games; (b) CISS conducts the Deaflympics in the years following the Olympic Games; and (c) Special Olympics International conducts the World Special Olympics Games in the years preceding the Olympic Games.
International Governing Bodies
- International Paralympic Committee
- Comite' International des Sports des Sourds
- Special Olympics International
USA Governing Bodies
- U.S. Paralympics
(USA
governing body for Paralympic swimming)
U.S. Paralympics is a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee - U.S. Deaf Swimming (deaf/hard of hearing)
- Special Olympics (intellectual disabilities)
Disability Sport Organizations
- Blaze Sports (physical disabilities and vision loss)
- Disabled Sports USA (amputation/wounded war veterans)
- Dwarf Athletic Association of America (short stature)
- Special Olympics (intellectual disabilities)
- U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (blind/vision loss)
- U.S. Deaf Swimming (deaf/hard of hearing)
- Wheelchair Sports USA (lower limb impairments)
International Sport Organizations
- Cerebral Palsy International Sport and Recreation Association
- Down Syndrome International Swimming Organization
- International Blind Sports Federation
- International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (CISS)
- International Sports Federation for People with an Intellectual Disability
- International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation
American and World Records
Swimmers must be classified according to ability/disability characteristics before they are eligible to establish American and World records. USA Swimming does not conduct or recognize classifications, and does not maintain disability-only records. Instead swimmers must contact the organizations that conduct disability-only swimming programs for such information.
Classification
- Swimmers with physical disabilities and swimmers who are blind (IPC)
- Classes S1-S10 (freestyle, backstroke, butterfly), SB1-SB9 (breaststroke), and SM1-SM10 (individual medley) are designed for swimmers with physical disabilities
- Classes S11-S13 are designed for swimmers who are blind or have vision loss
- Go to the US Paralympics web site for USA classification procedures
- Swimmers who are deaf (CISS) must have a hearing loss of 55 dB or greater in the better ear (three frequency pure tone average at 500, 1000, and 2000 Hertz
- Swimmers with cognitive disabilities (INAS-FID)
- Swimmers with Down syndrome (DSISA)
American Records
- Swimmers with physical disabilities and swimmers who are blind (US Paralympics)
- Swimmers who are deaf
- Swimmers with cognitive disabilities - no organization maintains American Records at this time
- Swimmers with Down syndrome - no organization maintains American Records at this time
World Records
- Swimmers with physical disabilities and swimmers who are blind (IPC) - includes World, European, Americas, and FESPIC Records
- Swimmers who are deaf (CISS)
- Swimmers with cognitive disabilities (INAS-FID)
- Swimmers with Down syndrome (DSISA)