Advocating for an accessible community pool in Kincardine

To the Editor:

My name is Randy Smith and I enjoy swimming. I have a physical disability and swimming helps with my therapy and allows me to spend time with my friends. It is important to me to do the things that everybody else does.

In December, 2015, the Hoyer Pool Lift at the Davidson Centre in Kincardine began leaking lubricant while in operation, with increasing frequency and severity each use.

Feb. 12, 2016, it was noticed that in addition to the leaking lubricant, the lift was leaking hydraulic fluid. I decided it wasn’t safe for me to use the lift until it was inspected, fixed, or replaced.

I tried to use the ramp a few times to get into the pool but I decided not to use it anymore as I did not feel safe. The ramp is quite steep and it requires two or three people to assist me in and out of the pool. I was scared of tipping over whenever I used the ramp and didn’t want anything to happen if the people assisting me slipped or lost their grip.

By April of 2016, I was still unable to swim and decided that I needed to write a letter to the Kincardine accessibility advisory committee.

With the help of my support worker, David, who had been helping me swim since 2011, I wrote to the committee. While the lift was my primary concern, I also noted the family change room needed to be more accessible.

The changing table, while it may be appropriate for children, wasn't nearly long enough for an adult. The legs of the changing table also prevented the Hoyer Lift from using the widest wheel base. It would be nice to have a changing table with a railing and that sat a little higher off the ground so whoever is assisting me in changing doesn't have to lean over so much.

The entrance to the family change room was a bit tight to get my wheelchair through, and the lost and found was often placed in an area which made maneuvering hard. 

The poolside transfer wheelchair was also not suitable for this purpose. It had rusted quite a bit, the arm rests had come loose and the padding on one side had fallen off revealing sharp edges. I thought it would be nice to see a wheelchair that was intended for use around water - made from either stainless steel or PVC pipe.

After I sent my original concerns to the committee, a member contacted me and immediately tried to work with me to come up with solutions. I was told it was going to be a long process because of the cost of the required items and updates, but we continued to look for solutions to help me get back swimming.

In the summer of 2016, the municipality was able to get a pool wheelchair and I was exclusively using the ramp and the new pool wheelchair.

The pool wheelchair was better suited for transfers in and out of the pool than the old transfer wheelchair. However, the ramp was so steep, it was still necessary for two people to assist me out of the pool. The ramp also has a couple of spots where the front casters of the pool wheelchair got stuck. I got to the point where I was so scared I was going to tip over or my support staff would get hurt, that I once again had to stop going to the pool.

The accessibility advisory committee informed me that it was continuing to look for grants and other funding options to complete my requests.

April 12, 2018, I received an E-mail from recreation director Karen Kieffer: “The municipality is pleased to announce that we were successful in our application for the Enabling Accessibility Grant. The funds received will enhance access to the pool by renovating the existing family change room to make it accessible, with new flooring, an accessible shower, privacy partitions, an adult change table as well as a new pool lift. Plans are currently under way to make the above a reality and we are confident that this will be completed in 2018. The committee looking after this project is currently in the process of finalizing the design for the change room so that the renovations can move forward.”

The renovations and pool lift took some time to complete but in early spring of 2019, things were finally complete.

I am so happy to tell everyone that Sept. 23, 2019, I finally started swimming again!

I am so proud that I stood up for what others like me might need in the community for accessibility and I am so thankful that the accessibility advisory committee and the Kincardine recreation department supported me through this process and valued my opinion.

I really appreciate the work that everyone did to find grants to pay for these upgrades and I am proud to live in this community.

Randy Smith
Kincardine



Randy Smith (left) of Kincardine is assisted into the pool by Community Living of Kincardine and District support worker Angela Taylor; photos by Community Living of Kincardine and District



Randy Smith (left) is thrilled to be back swimming in the pool at the Davidson Centre in Kincardine