The owner of a Valley business is hoping to help save lives by offering adaptive swim lessons for children and adults with disabilities.
The classes are taught by Julie Cordiero and her staff at Jr's Swim School.
"The number one cause of accidental death among kids with autism is drowning, and in Arizona, there are pools everywhere," said Cordiero.
"A lot of times autistic children are attracted to large bodies of water. So, they might not have safety skills when they dart into a body of water," Cordiero added.
She says she came up with the idea when she saw a specific need while teaching swim lessons at another school in 2017.
"I worked at another swim school with my significant other at the time. There was just a lack of resources. There was a lack of training. There was just no real adaptive swim program out there that we knew about. We wanted to create something that was unique and really catered to a population that is just as deserving to learn a lifesaving skill as the rest of the population," Cordiero explained.
Their classes teach survival skills, balance and strength to children with special needs in a personalized way.
"We see a lot of different sensory levels and needs at our swim school and our staff really does have the training and strategies to work through those appropriately," said Cordiero.
Ann Snyder says her son James is nonverbal and loves the water now more than ever since he started taking classes at Jr's Swim School during the pandemic.
"I had a meeting with Julie before we even got into the pool. We talked about different things that would motivate him and what are the skills that he already has," Snyder said.
After meeting with families, Cordiero says she modifies each swim lesson to help set each student up for success.
"Because Macayla is nonverbal, they do signs with her. So, they'll say, 'take a break' and that helps them say, 'okay we just need to let her catch her breath,'" said Aimee Craumer about her 11-year-old daughter who takes classes with Cordiero.
Craumer says safety boundaries are taught repeatedly and that gives their family peace of mind.
"Knowing that if Macayla was found by water, there are things that she knows she would have to do, like getting in the pool, she has to be invited. So, that's a big thing," Craumer added.
Instructors at Jr's Swim School are dedicated to helping those with disabilities become more confident in the water, and they use nontraditional teaching methods to help students overcome the most common barriers they see during swim lessons.
"A lot of passion and patience goes into what we do but we are making a huge difference and that is a good feeling," said Cordiero.
She says losing one child to a water tragedy is too many and she's grateful to hear from so many parents who love to share their success stories with her.
For more information on Jr's Swim School and their adaptive swim classes, visit their website.
You can also contact them at 602-753-6782 or by email at jrswimschools@gmail.com.
