Last updated on February 5th, 2024 at 03:45 pm
UPDATE: USA Swimming updated their Guideline for Officiating Swimmers with a Disability in USA Swimming Meets in September 2023. The 2024 USA Swimming Rulebook, 105.1 on page 56 shows them. Additional resources are not yet available. Please ensure the following resources comply with current rules before using them.
Contents for Serving Swimmers with Disabilities at Meets
Resources
Guidelines Pamphlet
Guidelines for Officiating Swimmers with a Disability: A Pocket Guide A concise 2 page reference for USA Swimming Officials. Designed to print on the front and back of the same paper and use as a tri-fold pamphlet.
Officiating Course
Officiating Swimmers with a Disability PDF file made from a PowerPoint course used to teach officials about officiating swimmers with a disability. (Thank you Char Sorensen of Colorado Swimming for sharing!) NOTE: The PowerPoint format makes it easy to change the logo and other information as needed to adapt the course to local circumstances.
Target Groups for Course and Some Key Responsibilities
- Meet and Deck Referees
- Athletes or the athlete’s representative informs the referee of impaired swimmer and asks for accommodations
- Meet Referee is the final decision on disqualifications
- Meet Referee decides if requested accommodations can be met. Instructs officials as to the accommodations/modifications
- Stroke and Turn Officials
- Officials observe swims based on rules. Officials need to become familiar with Article 105.5 in the USA Swimming Rulebook.
- Encourage this during the training of new officials
- An impaired athlete does not have to tell the referee of a disability if they do not want to be officiated under Article 105. This is their choice.
- Officials observe swims based on rules. Officials need to become familiar with Article 105.5 in the USA Swimming Rulebook.
- Coaches
- Senior Coach – Swimmers who are at the high school level and swim with their high school can also be a member of club swimming, if desired. Impaired swimmers are not always aware of this opportunity.
- Age Group Coach – Athletes at this level enjoy team swimming involvement. They are competitive and enjoy involvement with friends.
- Both sets of coaches can help athletes with disabilities be competitive, as well as grow both athletically and socially.
- Can help athletes move to Para Swimming if warranted
Rationale for Course
- Face-to-face conversation, instruction, and discussion are always better. It helps with the comprehension and development of programs. It also provides the means to offer support to all affected groups.
- Explanation of what impairments are and different impairments in each group. Provide specific examples.
- Instruct officials on how to observe swims and what to be aware of. (Article 105 of USA Swimming Rulebook)
- Show what support staff is and how it looks
- Sharing information about starting devices and examples of types
- How modifications look for an impaired swimmer and what happens during observing swims
- Describes the observing and implementation of rules
- How integrating impaired swimmers into clubs affects swimmers
USA Swimming Disability Motivational Time Standards
These time standards are intended to foster and promote the inclusion of athletes with a disability within USA Swimming LSC, and other, championships. They provide a fair, equitable, and structured approach by using a combination of three groupings of similar disabilities for athletes. Additionally, they provide qualifying/motivational times tailored to different levels of competition including LSC, Zone, and Sectionals.
Introductory Letter and FAQ Answers
Sectional Para Motivational Times
Additional Online Information
- USA Swimming Disability Committee & Resources
- U.S. Paralympics
- Guidelines and Best Practices for Disability Swimming and Diving (High School Students) provided via the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)
Accommodation Ideas for Swimmer with Disabilities
Worried about the timeline if swimmers with disabilities enter the swim meet? Here are a couple of ideas from Char Sorensen that might help.
Swimming Combined Events
The Meet Referee can allow an athlete with a disability to compete a shorter distance event, swum with a longer distance event. For example: Swim the 100 Freestyle of an impaired swimmer, during a heat of the 200 Free by other swimmers. That way the athlete with a disability gets to swim with their age group, and finish somewhere around the same time, but his or her race is shorter. The key piece is, they are not entered in the 200 Freestyle event. Instead, they enter the 100 Freestyle event. However, they swim at the same time as the longer race. Essentially, you are combining events.
According to USA Swimming rules, if a swimmer enters a 200 length event, and you have not combined events, then the swimmer must complete the required distance of the race regardless of a disability. If the swimmer wants to swim a 100 Freestyle in a 200 Freestyle race without combining events this is possible. S/he can get the 100 split time, but still must complete the 200 race to get a legal time.
Swimming Combined Age Groups
If swimmers with disabilities want to swim a race that is out of their age group, having the meet announcement allow for “Open” category swims is the best scenario. In Char’s LSC, they have allowed a swimmer who was 13 to swim in events for 12 and under athletes. Referees only do this case-by-case when there is not an “Open” category option. It also only happens the meet is small enough to allow for extra swimmers and the Meet Referee allowed it after consultation with the coach.
It is not always possible to put swimmers in a different age group. However, it is certainly could be considered as Meet Referees look for accommodations to support impaired swimmers.
Advance Notification Helps
It’s common to see something like the following statement in meet announcements:
A statement like this helps those attending the meet know that swimmers with disabilities are welcome at the meet and lets everyone know that the Meet Referee has authority to make accommodations. It also notes the need for early notification if an impaired athlete enters the meet.
Receiving early notification of the meet entry of an impaired athlete, allows time for the Meet Referee, Meet Director and Coach to confer and find the accommodations that best meet the needs of both the athlete, and the smooth running of the meet. Both are important.
Closing Thought
Although I don’t personally have much experience hosting, or running swim meets which include swimmers with disabilities, I hope to do more. I love the idea of offering inclusive competitions in local neighborhoods. I’m grateful to Char, and others, who have created, and shared, these materials and tips. As a result, I feel better prepared to help create a great swim meet experience for all athletes, including those with disabilities. If the dream of quality local swim meets for all is going to happen, it needs to be sustainable for meet leaders and officials. I think this information helps to do just that. Thanks for reading, and please share this info with others in your area. If you have more to add, please share. Together, we can help extend the great sport of swimming to all!
Preparing for a swim meet? Check out The Ultimate Swim Meet To-Do List. Then, get a bird’s eye view of Who does What at Swim Meets. Both include easy-to-follow links to related information. Doing a smaller, simpler meet? Host a High School or Developmental Swim Meet will help.
Need more help? See 20+ Ways to Get Swim Meet Timers and Officials: 20+ Ways to Get them for Swim Meets.
Also, discover a few things you can do to Increase Safety at Swim Meets. Find ideas to implement before your meet as well as last-minute quick and easy tips!