Addressing the Aquatic Workforce Crisis Through Neurodivergent Employment and Inclusive Practice

Australia’s aquatic industry is facing a growing workforce shortage that threatens the accessibility and sustainability of water safety education. At the same time, neurodivergent individuals remain significantly underrepresented in employment despite possessing strengths well suited to aquatic teaching roles, including attention to detail, consistency, empathy through lived experience, and strong procedural focus. This initiative reframes workforce inclusion as a practical response to the aquatic workforce crisis while supporting the objectives of the Australian Water Safety Strategy 2030 to increase participation and improve water safety outcomes for diverse communities.

This presentation outlines the development and implementation of a neuroaffirming workforce model within a learn to swim environment designed to expand workforce capacity while improving learner engagement and access. Key workforce innovations included strengths based recruitment pathways that move beyond traditional interview processes, structured onboarding and mentoring systems with predictable training environments, sensory aware lesson delivery frameworks that support both educators and participants, leadership pathways enabling neurodivergent staff to progress from trainee to instructor and mentor, and integration of lived experience into program design and teaching practice. The model intentionally links workforce development with inclusive water safety delivery rather than treating inclusion as a separate initiative.

Implementation has demonstrated improved staff retention when workplaces prioritise clarity and psychological safety, stronger learner engagement through diverse teaching approaches, and increased family confidence in water safety programs when educators reflect the communities they serve.

The aquatic workforce crisis cannot be solved through recruitment alone. Inclusive employment models represent an underutilised workforce strategy that strengthens teaching capacity while improving equity in water safety access. Recognising neurodivergent employment as workforce infrastructure rather than accommodation provides a scalable pathway to support drowning prevention outcomes nationally.

The Australian Water Safety Strategy 2030 emphasises equitable access to swimming and water safety education as a key priority for reducing drowning risk. Neurodivergent children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds may face compounded barriers to participation in swimming programs, limiting opportunities for skill development, safety, and inclusion in aquatic environments. This intersection remains underexplored, within aquatic and drowning prevention literature.

This study used a concurrent mixed-methods design to examine perceptions, experiences, and factors influencing swimming participation among neurodivergent children from CALD backgrounds. Data was collected through a national survey and semi-structured interviews with parents and caregivers. Survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data will be analysed using thematic analysis to identify key patterns related to participation, access, and inclusion.

Preliminary findings, to be presented at the 2026 National Water Safety Summit, are expected to highlight communication barriers, limited availability of inclusive programs, and gaps in cultural responsiveness within aquatic settings.

The study is expected to reveal significant equity gaps in swimming participation, aligning with priorities outlined in the Australian Water Safety Strategy 2030. Occupational-therapy informed, culturally responsive, and neurodiversity-affirming approaches are to enhance participation and safety outcomes. Implications include the need for co-designed aquatic programs, targeted instructor training in neurodiversity and cultural responsiveness, and strengthened community partnerships to support equitable drowning prevention strategies.

Background: Surf Life Saving Australia are committed to delivering a unique and inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated. SLSA supports initiatives and programs run by all SLS Entities that are designed to encourage participation by all Australians and to make everyone feel like they belong between the flags.     In 2022, the SLSA Board committed to deliver a national competition for people with disabilities at the Australian Surf Life Saving Titles in 2024 known as The Aussies.  Description: There are over 120 clubs currently delivering inclusive participation programs. Adaptive Surf Sports was the next natural progression for those wishing to compete in surf sports.    35 competitors registered, and 32 competitors competed. 15 officials6 events All age groupsTo compete in surf sports, there has been rules around entry eligibility.  One of the key elements to delivering a successful event was to reduce the barriers to participation that have previously prevented people with disabilities from competing, while still maintaining the integrity of the competition.  Lessons Learned: While the event was a great success for competitors and staff and we have come a long way, our post-event survey results show that we have progress to make. We will focus on the areas suggested for improvement for Aussies 2025. Communication was an important element of the process and involved event officials being engaged early on the journey.  The development of language and communication guides was an integral part of encouraging consistent and fair communication during the event. There was a need for flexibility.  Officials were encouraged to 'adapt’ some of the rules of surf sports competition. Conclusions: For a competitor to proudly wear their club-coloured caps, the Aussies vest and compete at this iconic event was an important milestone in the journey and demonstrated SLSA’s mission to promote accessibility and strive for inclusivity. 

The Dippers programme, developed by Autism Swim, is a transformative initiative designed to bridge the gap between neurodivergent individuals and the traditional surf lifesaving environment. By fostering a tripartite partnership between Autism Swim, surf life saving clubs, and participating families, the programme establishes a sustainable framework for coastal inclusion. Central to this mission is a fundamental paradigm shift: moving away from a "deficits-based" model—which seeks to "fix" the participant—towards a "strengths-based" approach, which identifies environmental and structural barriers as the factors requiring adaptation.

Supported by clinically developed training, surf club volunteers are equipped to foster an inclusive culture that achieves three primary outcomes:

Safety and Wellbeing: Proactively managing risk through increased surf awareness and education, thereby reducing the risks of drowning, wandering, and absconding.

Social and Community Inclusion: Combating social isolation by facilitating community participation and nurturing meaningful connections within a supportive, pressure-free environment.

Capacity Building and Skill Development: Providing pathways for participants to engage in structured beach fitness and water activities, with opportunities to work towards formal qualifications, such as the Surf Rescue Certificate.

Ultimately, the Dippers programme demonstrates that true inclusion is achieved not by forcing the participant to adapt, but by empowering the surf club community to remove barriers.

By integrating clinical expertise with operational infrastructure, the programme ensures that neurodivergent individuals are fully supported to thrive, transforming the beach into a safe, welcoming space for all.

Despite significant advances in drowning prevention, risk remains unevenly distributed across Australia. Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities continue to experience disproportionate exposure to drowning due to complex social, cultural, structural, and systemic barriers.

While these disparities are increasingly recognised, many prevention strategies remain insufficiently equipped to address the cultural safety, trust, lived experience, and trauma that directly influence participation in aquatic environments.

This presentation argues that Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is not an adjunct to drowning prevention, but a core prevention capability. Moving beyond traditional notions of cultural awareness, CQ is presented as a systems-level approach that strengthens leadership, workforce capability, program design, and community engagement to deliver more effective, equitable, and sustainable water safety outcomes.

The presentation aligns with the World Health Organization's recommendations to identify high-risk populations, reduce vulnerability, strengthen community capability, and foster multisectoral collaboration.

It also directly supports Royal Life Saving Australia's priorities of evidence-informed prevention, community-based intervention, workforce development, and equitable access to water safety education, while advancing the Australian Water Safety Strategy 2030 through its focus on high-risk populations, life skills, community partnerships, leadership, and workforce capability.

Drawing on applied case examples, including culturally responsive community-led initiatives, the session demonstrates how CQ-informed approaches improve trust, increase participation, strengthen program retention, reduce avoidance of aquatic environments, and create intergenerational water safety outcomes. Practical strategies for embedding CQ into drowning prevention systems, including leadership accountability, workforce development, co-design, and culturally responsive delivery models will be explored.

By reframing Cultural Intelligence as a foundational drowning prevention capability rather than an inclusion strategy, this presentation offers practitioners, policymakers, and aquatic leaders a practical, scalable pathway to achieving more equitable water safety outcomes and strengthening Australia's drowning prevention system.

Equitable access to swimming and water safety remains uneven across Australia and New Zealand, particularly for culturally diverse communities, First Nations peoples and underrepresented groups within the aquatic workforce. Levelling the Deck was established to address systemic barriers to participation and workforce inclusion, directly supporting the Australian Water Safety Strategy 2030 priorities of “Swimming and Water Safety Skills for All” and “Localising Water Safety Efforts.”

Levelling the Deck is a multi-state, industry-wide inclusion strategy with touch points through partnerships with organisations including RLSSQ, AUSTSWIM, Swimming New Zealand, education departments and community groups. The initiative focuses on workforce pathways, inclusive programming, scholarships and community engagement.

Key initiatives include a Learn to Swim program supporting 720 First Nations students, Aqua Jobs QLD workforce partnerships targeting 150 new entrants and 75 upskilled aquatic professionals and community engagement events such as the Western Sydney Water Safety Festival, attracting more than 200 attendees. The initiative also supports 45 scholarship recipients in Victoria, with a target of 300 participants, while Swimming New Zealand has integrated Levelling the Deck inclusion content into sector education and workforce development initiatives.

Early implementation highlights the importance of co-designed partnerships, visible representation, local delivery models and measurable workforce targets. Levelling the Deck demonstrates that workforce inclusion is foundational to drowning prevention. By reducing participation barriers and strengthening representation, the initiative provides a scalable framework for embedding equity, workforce capability and community representation into aquatic industry practice and water safety outcomes.

Inclusive water safety programs are widely recognised as essential; however, inclusion is often addressed through adaptations made after programs have been designed. Welcoming Australia's Welcome to the Game and Active Women projects adopted a different approach by placing community understanding and co-design at the centre of program development. This aligns with the Australian Water Safety Strategy 2030 by improving equitable access to water safety education for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, women, and people with disability.
Delivered across metropolitan Melbourne, the projects engaged CALD women aged 30–55 and children and young people with disability aged 5–25 from migrant and refugee backgrounds. Rather than beginning with predefined inclusion strategies, program planning started with understanding participants' cultural values, lived experiences, previous exposure to water, communication preferences, support needs, and the intersection of disability and culture. Programs were then co-designed with community members and delivery partners, incorporating women-only sessions, bilingual support, trusted community connectors, family-friendly participation, tailored support for participants with intellectual disability and behavioural needs, and capacity building with clubs, councils, and aquatic facilities.
The projects demonstrated that inclusive water safety depends less on modifying activities and more on intentionally designing the right approach from the outset. Building trust, recognising existing knowledge, creating culturally safe environments, and working alongside communities increased participation, confidence, and engagement. Women and children with little or no previous swimming experience developed greater water confidence, while families reported feeling respected, understood, and more confident engaging with aquatic environments.
Effective drowning prevention requires more than accessible programs; it requires approaches that are intentionally co-designed with the communities they serve. The experiences from both projects demonstrate that when inclusion begins with understanding people rather than adapting programs, equitable participation and sustainable engagement become achievable. This model offers a practical framework for designing future inclusive water safety initiatives across Australia.