Uncharted waters: Pueblo mom launches inclusive swim program for people with special needs

A Pueblo mom is taking action to support people with disabilities in the community after experiencing one too many barriers. 

Elizabeth Harmes, mom to 4-year-old Remington, who is autistic nonverbal, recently started a special needs sensory swim program that’s tailored for people of all ages with special needs.

The program is hosted by Special Needs Community Connections, a nonprofit that Harmes launched in October, and runs every Friday and Saturday between 1-3 p.m. in the Pueblo Regional Center’s heated therapy pool. 

Harmes said the program is the first of its kind in Pueblo for people with special needs and living with intellectual or physical disabilities.  

“What I’ve been learning is that a lot of people (with special needs) don’t have their basic needs met, and parents can’t find supportive programs for them,” Harmes said. “There is a whole entire world that people are unaware of. I call it the invisible disability world.” 

Harmes said she hopes the program can create new opportunities for adults and children with special needs, including Remington. 

Harmes said prior to launching the new program, she tried for more than a year to find a public pool where Remington could swim but was often told that the facilities either couldn’t accommodate his needs, didn’t have the resources, or that it was cost prohibitive. 

Different locations with recreational opportunities that Harmes sought out also expressed concern that Remington, who has sensory processing disorder and also is anaphylactic to about 19 different foods and several environmental allergens, could experience an anaphylactic episode because of certain chemical compounds in the filtration system. 

“It was disappointing and eye opening the amount of (denials) I received,” Harmes said. “But at the same time, it really was motivating to keep trying to find resources.” 

Harmes eventually connected with a friend who started working at Pueblo Regional Center and in October they put together a Trunk or Treat event at the center that was sensory and allergy friendly. 

Harmes then connected with Pueblo West Metro and Regional Center staff and over the course of three months, hammered out the details to form a sensory swim program tailored for people with special needs. 

Jadea Pineda, community integration director for Pueblo Regional Center, said “conversations are being had” to possibly introduce additional programs what can "make an impact" for people with special needs. 

“What we’re hoping is that we can invite more stakeholders so that this becomes more than just a Pueblo West, Pueblo Regional Center event and becomes more of a community event and build for future events,” said Charles Farris, senior director of residential services for Pueblo Regional Center.  

The sensory swim program costs $3 to participate and does have some basic requirements, such as that parents or caregivers must accompany their kids throughout a session. Siblings are welcome to join during the sessions but also must be accompanied by an adult or guardian.

The program has a similar setup to a public pool, Harmes said, and a Pueblo West Metro lifeguard is present at each session. The environment is purposefully quiet so it can be sensory friendly, Pineda said. 

The quiet provides an ideal environment for Johnny Franklin, an 11-year-old with autism. His mom, Maria, couldn’t find recreational programs that appropriately met his needs after their family moved to Pueblo in 2019.

Maria has sought other opportunities for Johnny to spend time in the water, such as the Pueblo YMCA, which can be too loud, she said.

“(At the therapy pool), Johnny can feel totally in his space, and water is definitely his space,” Maria said. “It means a lot to him to be in the water. He could do it all day long.” 

Katie Goodwin, Remington’s care provider, said she realized how inadequate Pueblo is in its special needs programming after working with him. She has a nephew who is autistic, which introduced her to the special needs community. 

The sensory swim is more relaxing and welcoming than a public pool, she said, where “people might look at you weird because you have a different child.” 

“This means a lot to me because this is — potentially — my son’s future recreational roadmap,” Harmes said. “It’s a way in which someone like him with complex medical disabilities and his peers and kids have somewhere where they can identify with people who have their own disability.

"Hopefully we can learn how to be inclusive of people with disabilities.”

To learn more about the program or contact Elizabeth Harmes, visit sncommunityconnections.org or reach her by email at info@sncommunityconnections.org or phone at 719-283-6848.

Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @josuepwrites.