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Academy for People with Special Needs Page

The Hong Kong Swimming Academy for People with Disabilities, founded by the Hong Kong Swimming Teachers Association, was officially established on September 24, 2016, injecting new momentum and opening a new chapter in the teaching and training services of aquatic sports for people with disabilities in Hong Kong.

The entire board of directors and founding teachers of the Hong Kong Swimming Academy for People with Disabilities (hereinafter referred to as the "Academy") are committed to providing high-quality swimming instruction services that are both accessible and sustainable for people with disabilities. The Academy will provide a comprehensive platform for teaching, research, and practice for the Association's trained "Specialized Instructors for Aquatic Sports for People with Disabilities," enabling each instructor to fully utilize their expertise and compassion. Together with the parents of students and the volunteer team, the Academy will unite to address the physical, mental, and spiritual needs of people with disabilities, benefiting the community.

The establishment of the "Special Needs Swimming Academy" once again demonstrates the Hong Kong Swimming Teachers' Association's commitment to various public welfare services. As early as 1974, at the inception of the Hong Kong Swimming Teachers' Association, experts were invited from the UK to Hong Kong in 1978 to train the first batch of over 40 "swimming teachers for people with disabilities." These trained teachers played a leading role in the development of swimming for people with disabilities in Hong Kong, training many outstanding swimmers and bringing honor to the city. In 2008, the Association again invited experts from the UK Swimming Teachers' Association to Hong Kong to train over 40 more "water sports teachers for people with special needs," but the demand far exceeded the supply, and the professional swimming instruction services that could be provided were limited. Back then, the Association eagerly hoped to design a curriculum that better met Hong Kong's needs without relying on foreign experts, and to train its own "special needs swimming teachers" to increase the number of qualified swimming instructors and meet the needs of society. In 2015, the Association finally achieved its goal. Thanks to the efforts and experience of its lecturers and experts, the "Special Needs Swimming Instructor Course" was optimized, significantly enhancing the course content and scope, improving trainees' practical training, and ensuring the swimming experience and professional knowledge of the new generation of instructors. A total of 38 "Special Needs Swimming Instructors" were successfully trained. The Association also fully recognized the loneliness and helplessness of these trained instructors teaching swimming to people with special needs alone. It hoped to establish a platform that would allow instructors to better leverage teamwork and spirit to provide high-quality services. Therefore, the Association gladly began preparations for the "Hong Kong Special Needs Swimming Academy."

The Association has established the following mission and objectives for the "Hong Kong Swimming Academy for People with Special Needs":

To provide accessible and continuous swimming learning opportunities for people with special needs.
Promote the interest of swimming among people with special needs.
Through swimming and various water sports, we can strengthen and improve the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of people with special needs, as well as their interpersonal relationships, so that they can integrate into the community.
To provide a united service platform for specialized swimming instructors who are dedicated to serving people with special needs, and to promote the spirit of social care.
Encourage more dedicated swimming instructors to dedicate themselves to teaching swimming to people with special needs, benefiting the community.
Contact parents, volunteers, and other relevant organizations and groups of people with special needs to organize service and collaboration teams to provide various mutual aid and self-help services.
Collaborate closely with the Hong Kong Swimming Teachers Association to provide swimming teachers with in-depth knowledge of swimming techniques and teaching methods for people with special needs, and to provide training for aspiring swimming teaching assistants and volunteers for people with special needs.

The Association expresses its gratitude to the Stamford Swimming School for its support in providing swimming pools for the "Swimming Accessibility Course for People with Special Needs" and for its full support of the "Hong Kong Swimming Academy for People with Special Needs". We hope to establish three training bases in Hong Kong, Kowloon, and the New Territories to facilitate swimming learning for people with special needs. The Association especially thanks Dr. Lee Yiu-fai, Supervisor of the Sik Sik Yuen School, for being the officiating guest at the inaugural ceremony and for serving as Honorary Supervisor of the "Hong Kong Swimming Academy for People with Special Needs". The Association also thanks Mr. Fung Hing-chuen, Mr. Fung Hing-yiu, and Mr. Cheung Woon-man for serving as Honorary Supervisors and guiding the development of the Swimming Academy.

The 44 founding instructors of the Hong Kong Swimming Academy for People with Special Needs—Vice Principals Ma Ka-wai, Yu Kwok-bun, and Chan Ching-yat—understand that serving people with special needs is an extremely challenging task, yet they have undertaken the mission of providing accessible and continuous swimming instruction. The founding instructors have also pledged to provide over 400 free swimming lessons to students in need. Admirable and commendable!

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Course inquiries: 60404102 (Ms. Ma) / 62557330 (Mr. Chan)

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January 2026 Course: Swimming Course for People with Special Needs SNC168~169_26 (Tseung Kwan O) Registration Form