STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – For parents of children with intellectual and physical disabilities (I/DD), the One on One swim class at The Elizabeth Connelly Center at the College of Staten Island, Willowbrook has been life changing.
But since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shuttered the center’s pool in March 2020, parents of children with disabilities who were enrolled in the program say their kids have regressed due to lack of consistency, socialization and physical activity the pool provided.
“It’s scary when you have a child with autism, or any disability to be honest. But when you have a child with autism and you have a pool, your heart is in your throat at all times,” said MaryBeth Bergren, whose 8-year-old daughter, Cait, is autistic.
“[Swimming] is so therapeutic and it touches upon so many things. When you have a child with sensory processing disorder, this is like an awakening for them,” Bergren said.
She said her daughter’s obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) decreased when she was regularly swimming in the pool; her self-harm behaviors also decreased. And she was finally able to follow multi-step directions.
PROGRAM ON HOLD DUE TO LACK OF STAFF
While other indoor pools – like those inside the YMCA, LA Fitness and other centers – have reopened, the I/DD community has been without a swim program since the start of the pandemic.
A spokeswoman for the state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), which oversees the program, told the Advance/SILIve.com the reason the pool has not yet reopened is due to staff shortages that were exacerbated by the pandemic.
“As with all human services fields nationwide, COVID-19 has had a significant impact on an already shrinking field of available workers to staff programs for people with developmental disabilities. At this time, OPWDD does not have the staff to safely support the operation of the pool at the Elizabeth Connelly Center. As the workforce situation improves, we are hopeful that the programs provided at the pool will resume,” the spokesperson said.
Although OPWDD says lack of staff is the holdup, program instructor Nick Defonte, said there has never been an OPWDD staff member on-site; he has always worked in coordination with and has reported to OPWDD.
“I would report to [a staff member] and we had no problem; the pool ran smooth. She was making improvements in the pool and we worked together. It was government and citizens working together in a very nice manner,” Defonte said.
He said all staff have been vaccinated and the pool has been maintained throughout the pandemic. “It’s ready to go. I have a lease agreement that’s good until June 2022. We’re ready to go, we just need the OK,” he said.
Children of all ages have benefitted from the pool, said instructor Nick Defonte, who said it’s more than just swimming. And children, like Cait Bergren, can’t go to fitness centers to use their pool. “The acoustics alone are overwhelming,” she said. Additionally, the pool at the Elizabeth Connelly center is heated unlike other pools.
OUTDOOR POOLS AREN’T AN OPTION FOR I/DD KIDS
Defonte and his family opened the One on One program in March of 2019 with four participants. When the doors shut because of COVID-19, there were more than 200 participants.
Speaking about the program, Defonte affectionately referred to all of the participants as “his kids.”
Cait Bergren, 8, and her instructor Alicia Defonte. “[Swimming] is so therapeutic and it touches upon so many things. When you have a child with sensory processing disorder, this is like an awakening for them,” Cait's mother, MaryBeth Bergren, said. (Photo courtesy of MaryBeth Bergren)
“I have a kid, a guy, he’s 17-years-old. I got him to sing and swim. We do a little bit of speech pathology, we do a little bit of exercise, we shoot basketballs in the water depending on each kid,” Defonte said.
During the pandemic Defonte opened up his home and personal pool to the participants. But now that the weather is getting cold, an outdoor pool is no longer an option.
“It’s not mentally or physically good for the children or the parents. It’s just not a good situation [right now]. There’s gotta be something that we can do,” he said.
THE POOL’S PROGRAM IS ‘UNMEASURABLE’
Marissa Baratta -- who owns Rainbow’s Reach, an integrated socialization program for children with I/DD -- said at the request of a student, Rainbow’s Reach has utilized the One on One program.
“The smiles and the therapeutic aspect this program gives these children is unmeasurable,” Baratta explained.
“It is so important, especially after all the service, educational and social losses for these kids. It’s critical for their growth, both physically, emotionally and socially. Swimming is full sensory. It can and does improve speech, coordination, self-esteem and cognitive processing. They need this pool to be reopened as soon as possible,” she continued.
MAKING STRIDES
Five-year-old Giovanni Cordone has made tremendous strides since attending the One on One program, his mother Vincenza Mineo, an Annadale resident, said.
Giovanni was able to swim by himself this summer at a waterpark and even was able to do the obstacle course in the pool, something he wasn’t able to do in the past.
Five-year-old Giovanni Cordone has made tremendous strides since attending the One on One program, his mother Vincenza Mineo, an Annadale resident, said. Nick Defonte even came to Mineo's home over the summer to give Giovanni lessons. (Photo courtesy of Vincenza Mineo)
“He wasn’t comfortable with that beforehand and didn’t really understand how to behave in the water, and Nick really helped him with that,” Mineo said, adding that his confidence has grown and he has an understanding of water safety that he didn’t have before.
Defonte even came to Mineo’s home over the summer to continue Cordone’s lessons.
“Our special needs community is being neglected and our children are suffering. Someone needs to take notice now; someone needs to get loud because our children are regressing from the loss of therapeutic services provided by this amazing therapeutic swim program. We need this pool open now,” Bergren said.
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