All-Inclusive Aquatics: The Origin Story
The seeds of inspiration
Before Megan was an Occupational Therapy student, she was a normal kid. She grew up with lots of neighbors and a large family. Her childhood was scattered with inclusion, the importance of which Megan didn't recognize until adulthood. Her best friend's little sister had Down syndrome and they spent nearly every day of every summer at the pool with one another. Her neighbor was Autistic and another had a rare genetic condition, they all played together without a second thought. She had two cousins with developmental differences; one with Joubert's syndrome and another who used a wheelchair with an AAC activated by tracking his eye sight.
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While studying to become an Occupational Therapist, Megan worked as a Direct Support Professional and Paraprofessional for children with developmental differences. She saw firsthand how these children were often excluded from physical activities enjoyed by their peers, something that went directly against what she experienced growing up. Motivated to address this gap, she developed an adapted physical education program for a local elementary school and collaborated with fellow OT students on research that highlighted the mental, emotional, and physical benefits of physical activity for individuals with developmental and intellectual differences.​
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At the College of Saint Mary Occupational Therapy Graduate Program Research Symposium in 2021, the OT Program Director approached Megan and her classmates to ask a question that triggered a chain reaction. The question was, "If you were to start an adaptive sports program, what would you do?" With so many possibilities, Megan wasn't sure how to respond. That was when the College of Saint Mary Occupational Therapy Program Director looked at Megan and said, "Well. You taught my daughter how to swim. Start there." While nothing immediately came of that conversation, it stayed with Megan.
The start: no plans, just passion
After the research symposium, Megan went on to complete her 14 week fieldwork rotations for her Occupational Therapy program. The first one was in Colorado Springs working in the school system to support individuals in the Widefield Inclusion Social Communication program. During this opportunity, she worked alongside OTs, PTs, SLPs, special education staff, BCBAs, and RBTs to support the least restrictive environment for individuals with intellectual and developmental differences from ages 3 to 21.
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During the 14 weeks in Colorado, Megan wouldn't stop thinking about what her Program Director said. She asked families and professionals in the Widefield School District their experiences of inclusive sports. The answer was consistent; there were lots of programs, but not every adaptive program was able to truly adapt to various levels of needs; communication, physical development, cognitive awareness, emotional supports.
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She came back to Omaha, determined to stop dreaming of opportunities and start creating them. With Megan's experience teaching group lessons of up to 30 kids at once and private lessons, she recognized one on one attention created the most successful, confident, and meaningful experiences in the pool. She didn't have business experience or a plan, but she knew she had to start somewhere.
So on April 3, 2022 All-Inclusive Aquatics hosted its first lessons at the College of Saint Mary. This picture shows Megan with Elizabeth and Maggie during one of the first days of lessons. Elizabeth has Trisomy 9 Mosaic and was one of Megan’s clients when she was a Direct Support Professional. Megan approached the lesson with excitement, but Elizabeth was less sure of herself. Yet by the end of the lesson, Elizabeth was smiling, using ASL to request "more", and submerged without drinking water or aspirating! Megan accredited the success to her near decade of experience teaching swim lessons, 5 years as a Direct Support Professional, 3 years as a Special Education Paraprofessional, and soon to be Occupational Therapist. And finally, the dream was a reality.
The result: All-Inclusive Aquatics
The dream was a reality, but it was also a challenge. Megan found herself in the position of balancing her last fieldwork rotation at a mental health center in Omaha, studying for her OT boards, and being the founder of a community-based program. She loved what she did and after passing her boards to become a Certified and Licensed Occupational Therapist, she began communicating with families to inform them the hours for All-Inclusive Aquatics' adaptive swim lessons may be changing as she began her job search.
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The response from families was everything. They urged Megan to do something daunting; create a job instead of looking for one. Megan's goal had always been to provide aquatic therapy, but she hadn't dare dreamed of that being her first and only job as an Occupational Therapist. With support from her former professors, community members, and the families she served, Megan expanded All-Inclusive Aquatics' offerings to include aquatic therapy.
Since being founded, the team recognized swim lessons and therapy were just the beginning of what inclusion in the aquatic setting looks like.
Today, All-Inclusive Aquatics offers a wide range of services:
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Private and semi-private swim lessons
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Adaptive and traditional swim meets
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Aquatic occupational, speech-language, and physical therapy
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Adaptive and inclusive lake days
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Advocacy for inclusion in aquatics
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Community engagement events
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Aquatic-based camps focused on social-emotional growth and sensory exploration
