D/deaf-HoH accommodation

Scenario:

A Coach requested and was granted strobe light accommodation for a swimmer. After the fact, it was noticed that the REMS D/deaf / Hard of Hearing report does not include the swimmer.

Swimming Canada guidance says that "All swimmers who are D/deaf or Hard of hearing and require an accommodation at swim meets **should** be identified in the Swimming Canada Registration System." (emphasis added)

Question:

Does the use of "should" mean that a hard of hearing declaration is not required? Therefore, any coach can request a hard of hearing accommodation for any swimmer at any time?

Solution/Recommendation

The D/deaf or Hard of Hearing designation in REMS is self-declared during registration. As a result, swimmers and parents may not fully understand the purpose or implications of selecting this option, including the ability for coaches to request accommodations, such as a strobe light, to support D/deaf or Hard of Hearing swimmers at competitions.

Therefore, if a coach requests a strobe, the request should be approved even if the swimmer does not appear on the report. This also provides an opportunity for the Meet Manager to educate the coach and recommend that the swimmer update their membership profile to include the D/deaf or Hard of Hearing designation.

If assistance is required with this process, swimmers or coaches can contact Swim Ontario for support.