YMCA creates swim lessons for deaf, hearing impaired children

TAYLORS, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The Eastside Family YMCA now offers adaptive swim lessons for deaf and hearing-impaired children.

One mother made it her mission to help find a place where her son could fulfill his dream of wanting to learn how to swim.

“I was here with my older son who is in 4th grade and Wyatt was sitting next to be at swim lessons Wyatt looked at me and said mommy when is it my turn? And we just decided that you know what, we’re going to make it his turn.”

Melissa May brought her idea to the branches Aquatics instructor, Roslyn Burroughs. May said it was Burroughs who helped make her sons dream a reality.

Burroughs tells FOX Carolina, several swim instructors are in the water at one time. Some are swim teachers, others are interpreters, and a few are also hearing-impaired.

May said, “I think it’s great to see the adult deaf community to start to come in just in trickles and volunteer to help this next generation of deaf kids and it’s starting to kind of bring them together and have something in common.”

Right now, the classes are a part of a pilot program, but they are the first for the YMCA. If you would like to find out more information you can click here.

Burroughs tells FOX that she hopes the program will expand to YMCAs nationwide.

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