[NFB-DB] Swimming

[Penny Leclair]

I have no sight, no hearing.
I go swimming with someone who is a pretty good swimmer and we make use of tactile signs. A tap on the shoulder means you can go, if I am touched anywhere means stop, so if I can touch the bottom of the pool I stop swimming, or I tread water if in the deep end. I lane swim, so I keep to the right wall of the pool or a rope. If I just want to be in the pool and play with a noodle the person tries to stay close enough to me to either push me over if I am getting too close to someone else. If they touch me that means they are going to push me somewhere so I can continue to play around. I find I can swim next to them and occasionally touch there hand if I can do that and they point right or left to indicate the direction we are trying to go. Trusting your guide is so important. Start with just shallow swims until you get the feeling the person is doing well and you feel safe.

I hope this helps.
Penny

Sent from Mail for Windows

From: Robin Diane Graves via NFB-DB
Sent: April 10, 2022 12:58 PM
To: 'NFB Deaf-Blind Division Mailing List'
Cc: rdgraves2007 at gmail.com
Subject: [NFB-DB] Swimming

Greetings Fellow Deaf-blind Division Members,

I hope you all are doing well.

I am  wondering if I can get some pointers from those of you who enjoy swimming. I absolutely loved to swim in my younger days, when my hearing was much better. I have always had a hearing impairment, likely due to the radiation therapy I had to undergo as a child, but the deficit has progressed over the years. Without my hearing aids, at least for communication purposes, I am almost deaf. I can hear the sound of voices, but can not comprehend the speech unless someone comes and speaks directly into my ear. I am also a person who is totally blind.

That said, I am wondering how those of you who may be in a similar situation handle swimming—especially in a public pool. Would really love to begin swimming again, and would appreciate any tips or pointers for how you navigate such situations. 

I just learned today of a head band called the “ear band it,” designed specifically for holding ear plugs in place. Do any of you have any experience with this product, and does it work to protect hearing aids?

Thanks,
Diane Graves 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfb-db_nfbnet.org/attachments/20220410/74128d71/attachment.html>