Common difficulties

Open water and swimming

Swimming in pools and open water can be so much fun, but when you can't hear, there are so many dangers that come with it. Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals need to be ultra careful when they are swimming; they need to keep an eye out for danger signs and make sure they are aware of their surroundings. It can all be so exhausting and makes Deaf and Hard of Hearing people not want to go to beaches and pools when they are away, because they feel anxious, self-conscious, and because they might not have people who understand deafness well enough. some difficulties that come with swimming and open water are:

Swimming Pools:

One of the biggest issues when it comes to pools is that many hearing aids and implants are not waterproof, which means they cannot go in the water with them on, which increases the risk of getting hurt and being in danger if it is crowded. This can lead to:
- Missing important information/instructions from teachers or lifeguards.
- Difficulty hearing warnings/whistles if they are not profoundly deaf
- Communication problems during lessons
- Feeling unsafe or isolated in the pool/water

Swimming pools are often a really noisy environment, which causes background noise, echoes, and makes it harder for them to hear other people and communicate as well as they would outside of the pool with hearing devices. Some of the other challenges include:
- Difficulty following the routine instructions
- Not hearing emergency announcements
- Sensory overload in busy pools
- Trouble getting someone's attention quickly
- Limited access to deaf friendly swim programs

Many deaf or hard-of-hearing swimmers heavily rely on:
- Visual signs
- Demonstrations
- Hand gestures
- Eye contact
- Written instructions

Beaches and open water:

Beaches and open waters are especially dangerous for deaf or hard-of-hearing people because they heavily rely on sounds, alarms, noises, and warnings. Some of these difficulties include:
- Not hearing lifeguard whistles
- Not hearing shouted warnings
- Difficulty hearing about rio currents and dangerous waves
- Missing weather warnings or emergency announcements
- Struggling to communicate over loud noise or wind

Natural water environments are already super noisy, so this can become very confusing, scary, overwhelming, and disorienting for young deaf children and adults.

Some additional risks are:
- Difficulty detecting approaching boats or watercrafts
- Communication barriers during emergencies
- Reduces awareness when hearing devices are off
- Needing constant visual supervision or visual safety signs

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