We discussed providing a changing tent for customers and this has been a great addition for people , giving them privacy and protection from wind and rain while they get changed , especially if the person is slower at getting out of their clothes .”
W e are two final year occupational therapy students who have recently completed a widening placement , which provided us with the opportunity to explore and develop occupational therapy practice within an area of interest .
We both shared an interest in exploring outdoor swimming as a meaningful occupation for leisure and self-care . From our initial research we identified that there is an emerging body of evidence supporting the benefits of outdoor swimming for health and wellbeing ( Bradley 2020 ; Foley 2017 ; Massey et al 2020 ).
We also identified that accessibility was a significant barrier to participation in this occupation and that there is a gap in research within this area ( Martin 2013 ; Menzies et al 2021 ).
According to Law ( 1991 ), a key aspect of the occupational therapist ’ s role is to assess and resolve environmental barriers to occupational engagement , promote equitable access to occupation and to champion social change . This underpins our project aims and reinforced our reasoning to make accessibility to outdoor swimming the focus of our study .
The project was facilitated by developing a professional relationship with a local outdoor swimming coach and working collaboratively on a vision to explore and problem solve accessibility issues . It involved visiting and completing environmental assessments at four different outdoor swimming venues , with varying levels of accessibility – some with more facilities than others .
Venues included a reservoir , a private lake , an outdoor water sports centre and an outdoor swimming pool . By comparing barriers to access at a range of different settings , the project gained a broader perspective of these across a range of environments and client groups .
Within the project , several data collection methods were used , in addition to the environmental assessments . Questionnaires and social media pages were used to gather feedback from the lived experiences of outdoor swimmers on the benefits , challenges and suggestions for improved accessibility .
Having different data collection methods enabled us to gain feedback from a wide range of people , increasing the validity of the results , which showed a wide range of challenges across the settings ( see graph ).
The most common challenges were distance to swim sites and getting in and out of the water . It is important to highlight that the feedback may not be generalisable , due to the short time frame of
We discussed providing a changing tent for customers and this has been a great addition for people , giving them privacy and protection from wind and rain while they get changed , especially if the person is slower at getting out of their clothes .”
Left : Claudia Thompson , Open Water Swim Coach and project supervisor at Swimtopia
December 2023 OTnews 49