Lead Organization:  Schlessman Family YMCA

Contact:  Dana Wedlick, Aquatics Director , Schlessman Family YMCA, dwedlick@denverymca.org

Partners and Collaborators Include:  Joshua School, Sibling Tree, Abraham Lincoln High School, YMCA Board

The Denver inclusive health coalition has made great strides in increasing inclusive health offerings to youth of all ages in its community. It has partnered with schools and organizations to create multiple programmatic offerings at the YMCA for children and young adults with disabilities. Programs include adapted aquatics and swim lessons, as well as gross motor skills activities.  It is also working to increase and promote inclusion as a whole across multiple YMCA branches by posting banners to advertise facilities as being inclusive, increasing accessibility of branches and programs, and by increasing the number of inclusive images in YMCA promotional materials. Finally, it has joined the YMCA’s recently renamed "Diversity and Inclusion Group" (formerly the “International Committee”) to help ensure the inclusion component of future planning efforts.