I was recently leading a customized leadership training for an aquatics department in California, working through some of the harder accessibility and inclusion questions facilities run into, when someone in the room asked something I've been thinking about ever since: "When is it actually okay to look at this? What's the real difference between inspiration porn and genuinely supporting disabled people?" It was a good question precisely because there's no clean line drawn any

Part 6 of a 7-part series on inclusive first aid for aquatic professionals First aid technique is often taught on a single body type, with a single set of assumptions about size, mobility, and physical configuration. In the real world, bodies vary enormously—and a responder's comfort and skill in adapting to that variation directly affects the quality of care someone receives. Key Considerations Mobility differences due to fat or muscle mass can change how a technique needs t

Organizations are usually very good at telling employees what they value. Values appear in strategic plans, employee handbooks, orientation presentations, websites, job postings, and signs hanging in staff rooms. We say we value safety, service, teamwork, respect, inclusion, integrity, and belonging. Then evaluation time arrives. We measure attendance. We evaluate technical skills. We review productivity. We document disciplinary issues. We evaluate whether employees complete

Part 5 of a 7-part series on inclusive first aid for aquatic professionals Neurodiversity is an umbrella term for the wide range of conditions that affect how a person's brain functions—there's no single fixed list, but it can include ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, epilepsy, Tourette's/tic disorders, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, language or coordination disorders, autism, and dyspraxia, among others. Add in mobility aids, invisible disabilities, and

What happens when a transgender or nonbinary person actually gets injured at your pool, camp or recreation center? Conversations about transgender and nonbinary inclusion in parks and recreation often center on bathrooms, locker rooms, registration forms, pronouns, participation policies and facility access. Those conversations matter, but they can also make gender inclusion feel like a policy issue that exists somewhere outside the ordinary work of operating a recreation pro

Swim diaper policies are common at aquatic facilities, but most are written almost entirely with babies and toddlers in mind. Signs say that children under a certain age must wear swim diapers, staff remind parents at admissions, and changing stations are installed beside infant changing tables. What those policies often fail to address is that children are not the only people who experience bowel or bladder incontinence. Disabled teenagers and adults, older adults, people wi