About US
Our Purpose
To provide an opportunity for people with disabilities to participate in the challenging sport of scuba diving.
According to Statistics Canada, in 2022, approximately 10.6% of the Canadian population had a mobility disability. This is the client group of Freedom at Depth Canada.
There is currently no other Canadian organization that teaches scuba diving to people living with disabilities in such a safe and professional manner. Freedom at Depth Canada offers a curriculum adapted for people living with various disabilities and has instructors and a training director specializing in diving for people with disabilities, certified by the Handicapped Scuba Association (HSA). Freedom at Depth is the ideal choice for people with disabilities to learn how to scuba dive.
Objectives
Improve the health and fitness of people with disabilities by challenging their physical abilities and endurance.
Improve the quality of life of people with disabilities by providing an opportunity to participate in a mainstream sport
Level the playing field between people with disabilities and their able-bodied peers by facilitating access to a sport that they, and others, did not think possible
Motivate people with disabilities into pursuing other life challenges (sports, employment, travel, education) by allowing them to achieve at a sport that many cannot
Profile the abilities and potential of people with disabilities to mainstream society
Context
Scuba diving can give people with physical disabilities an opportunity to participate in an active sport with able-bodied peers. For people with disabilities, succeeding at this seemingly impossible challenge results in improved self-confidence. In addition, scuba diving provides people with something new to look forward to – whether it’s a trip to an exotic destination or discovering a new part of their local environment. Their attitude changes and they begin to see opportunities in other areas of their life as well.
When able-bodied divers see a person with a disability scuba diving – an activity they thought impossible for people with disabilities, their attitudes begin to change – they begin to look beyond the disability and see the person as a whole individual. If a person with a disability can scuba dive, what else can they do?
Taken together, these two factors have the potential to remove barriers and increase the integration of persons with disabilities in all aspects of Canadian society – sport, education and the workforce.
Finally, some disabled people may wish to try scuba diving for the simple excitement and fun of the activity.
Creating the Opportunity
Freedom at Depth trains people with disabilities across Canada to scuba dive by providing courses tailored to the unique requirements of each individual student.
Freedom at Depth has developed broad knowledge of disability issues and has extensive direct experience in delivering successful training.
– Train divers with disabilities
– Provide local and international diving opportunities for FADC trained divers.
– Provide continuing education courses such as advanced diver, night diver, nitrox diver, etc.
– Promote the benefits of scuba diving to people with disabilities across Canada
– Develop a network of divers with disabilities and others interested in scuba for people with disabilities.
Identification of Students
People from across Canada are eligible to participate. Clients will be identified through the following:
– Referrals from rehabilitation centres and other disability organizations such as Spinal Cord Injury Canada
– Word of Mouth
– Students who have taken the course
