After a national survey, it seems as though most kids who are physically handicapped that take part in a physical activity or sport, take up swimming. Over 37% of disabled adolescent children take up swimming than the general population (30%). Kids with physical disabilities can float and therefore have more confidence in the water. Many places offer swimming to the disabled and many of these kids can learn how to swim.
Aquatics for the Disabled
Specialists say that disabled children learning to swim and do other aquatic activities can help their leisure skills. Children with cerebral palsy, which disease destroys the child's physical, social, cognitive, and emotional functioning and his or her leisure functions, is one of the diseases that can be helped through swimming. With the help of therapeutic recreation specialists, recreation professionals, and aquatic specialists use rehabilitation to restore levels of leisure functioning in their clients with disabilities. If a CP child does this, then these children can also swim with their non-disabled friends and it will continue to help their stimulation and development.
A man by the name of Bloomquist said that "the water provides a combination of stimuli that help alleviate the disabling effects of cerebral palsy". The water provides a place where physical inequities are minimized and disabled people are able to participate. If the water is warmed to 88 degrees F, then it can reduce the hypertonic effect of the disability, and the warmth of the water can cause the muscles to relax to an almost normal level of muscle tone (Harris, 1978).
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Added by Kaley Walker