Founded by Megan Didulo in 2022 and formerly known as Megan's Aquawesome Swimmers, All-Inclusive Aquatics was created with the goal of teaching safety skills in the water to children and adults of all abilities.
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While completing her schooling to become an Occupational Therapist, Megan worked as a Direct Support Professional and Paraprofessional for children with developmental differences. In these positions she noticed that the children she was working with did not get the opportunity to participate in physical activities as often as their same-aged peers. This inspired her to create an adapted physical education program for a local elementary school with the help of her classmates. She went on to collaborate with other OT students to research the positive effects of physical activity on children with varying diagnoses. The research showed that by participating in physical activities, those with intellectual and developmental differences had improved mental, emotional, and physical health.
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Megan knew she had a passion for aquatics from working as a swim aide and transitioning to an instructor throughout her teenage years. She combined this with her therapeutic background to create aquatic curriculum for those with developmental differences. ​Since opening in April 2022, All-Inclusive Aquatics has successfully worked with over 350 swimmers. Partnerships have been formed with programs such as the Down Syndrome Alliance of the Midlands and Autism Action Partnership to promote inclusion.
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Pictured above is Megan with Elizabeth and Maggie, All-Inclusive Aquatic's first swimmers. Elizabeth was one of Megan's clients while she was a Direct Support Professional. With a diagnosis of Trisomy 9 Mosaic, she was one of the main sources of inspiration Megan had for creating the program!
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These two girls continually motivate Megan to expand the opportunities within the program. Maggie's competitive spirit led to Megan finding the Kroc Center's Splash Meet program for newly competitive swimmers. Megan saw how much Elizabeth looked up to her older sister and decided to create the same opportunity for her. This is how the Adaptive Swim Meets were born. It allows kids with developmental and intellectual differences a place to compete safely. Swimmers get the chance to swim in a meet with the help of volunteers for increased safety and focus, while using flotation devices and adaptive swim equipment.
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Upon graduating with her Occupational Therapy degree from College of Saint Mary, Megan decided she wanted to practice occupational therapy in the water. She knew from her research that the benefits of aquatic therapy were not solely for occupational therapy, but extended to other disciplines as well. With this in mind, she recruited a Speech-Language Pathologist and Physical Therapist to begin offering aquatic therapy services.
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The broad services that this program offers; typical and adaptive swim meets, private and semi-private lessons, aquatic occupational, speech-language, and physical therapies, truly exemplifies the name and purpose of All-Inclusive Aquatics.