In the small pool of the Camille Muffat swimming pool, in Portes-lès-Valence, Léon has fun diving underwater, as deep as possible. The 9-year-old boy has a very big smile. Every week, he comes to do a handicap pool session with a trained swimming instructor. The child can thus learn to swim despite the very rare syndrome he suffers from since his birth and which causes him behavioral problems and intellectual disability.
Inaugurated in 2021, the swimming pool was immediately designed with the idea of being accessible to different disabilities. This Saturday, November 23, the elected officials of the Agglomeration revealed in front of the establishment the “Tourism and Disability” label which recognizes this accessibility. This is the first time that a sports establishment in Drôme-Ardèche has obtained this label.
“I love the pool!”
“I want to stay there, I love the pool!”says Léon, swimming cap with the image of “Stitch” on his head. The boy therefore takes advantage of the disabled pool sessions every 3rd Saturday of the month as well as disabled sports every Friday afternoon. His mother, Mélodie, accompanies him: “To teach him, you need patience, technique, perseverance. If you don't have help, it's complicated. It's still great to know how to swim, that he can do it like anyone the world”. For her, the fact that Léon knows how to swim is also a guarantee of security. The family has been coming for three years. The establishment also offers a free rate for accompanying persons people with disabilities.
Gabin Grulet
At the edge of the pool, the lifeguards also use a launching device with a seat and an articulated arm. A locker room is made for undressing while lying down. There is even boxes for guide dogs. Everything is suitable. Philippe also comes every week to the Camille Muffat swimming pool. The sixty-year-old is in a wheelchair and swimming is a sport that does him good. “A few years ago in other swimming pools, it was more complicated. Either because there was no device to get into the water, or the showers and changing rooms were poorly sized. There , everything is taken into account for the disability”, he assures.
More visibility
The swimming pool has been accessible since its inauguration in 2021. But the elected officials of the Agglomeration hope that the “Tourism and Disability” label offers better visibility because it will be referenced with the various disability structures. “It allows the population to know that this equipment exists and that it can accommodate them despite their disability”insists the vice-president of the Agglomeration, delegate for sports, Adem Benchelloug.
Gabin Grulet
He ensures that every 3rd Saturday of the month, around thirty disabled people come to the swimming pool out of around a hundred people in total. The Agglomeration says already working on the extension of this label other aquatic facilities, and the ice rink.
