Swiming with Dolphins at Discovery Cove

[malcolm silcock]

Has anyone taken their autistic (or other disabled person) child to swim with the dolphins at Discovery Cove?

And if so, now did they react/get on?

[mariasilcock]

hi dh should ask about other dolphin swim encounters .tere are some in the keys i think dw:Pinkbounc

[SueM in MN]

I don't remember anyone asking about that before. Can anyone help out?

[signtalker]

I took my son who has multiple disabilities(autism and hearing impaired)to mention a couple,DC were very uncoperative in respect of his disabilities, i explained that i needed to sign the information as well as repeat repeat so he could digest the information, at one point DS didnt comply with what the trainer had said and he was very abrupt(could of been an off day?), their their total disregard for disabilities really put me off, all that they said was, that because of the dolphins everybody had to be in the water/interact for the same amount of time, i could see their point here but its not as cut and dried as that with disabilities, im not sure that i would repeat the dolphin swim again, but i would certainly repeat the rest of the day.

Jules

[malcolm silcock]

Jules,

Sounds like it wasn't all you expected . I know there are other Dolphin swims in the South West of Florida, but they're quite a way to travel for the day.

Have you heard of anything closer to Orlando, that had good feed-back

:)

[Talking Hands]

The best program is in the Florida Keys in SE Florida. The people working with the children are trained teachers and are wonderful. One of the teachers used to teach at my school in Miami in the Profound Class before moving to the Keys.
Unfortunately I know of only 2 Dolphin programs in Orlando and only the Discovery Cove allows children.

[SueM in MN]

Thanks Lisa and Juless. I thought someone here would know. It sounds like the best experience would be with someone who is trained with working with dolphins and people with disabilities.

[mariasilcock]

thanks for all the imput. do you have the name or web page for the dolphin centre in the keys

[malcolm silcock]

OK, Found it -

www.swimdolphin.com


Quite a big web site, most details seem to be there:bounce:

[Michigan]

You forgot the s in your link. I tried it and it didn't work so I stuck a s in it and it worked.
http://www.swimdolphins.com/

[SueM in MN]

I got an email from someone about Dolphin programs recently and thought I would add it to this thread:

"THE most outstanding program I know of is run by a woman named Deena Hoagland and is in Key Largo, Florida. It is called Island Dolphin Care. She is truly an ANGEL sent from heaven! Anyone wanting to know details about Island Dolphin Care and their therapy programs can access their internet site at islanddolphincare.org . They are non-profit and also have some scholarships and funding available based on need. On their board is Stanley Zuba, MD who is also one outstanding pediatrician. They have been written about in national magazines and are soon to be seen on the National Geographic Today program.

I live in the Keys and have known her personally almost 10 years now and she is one incredible person when it comes to intuitively understanding children, families, and dolphins. She is also a parent of a child with a "dis" -Ability. I would highly recommend Island Dolphin Care to ANY family looking for a well run, compassionate, hands-on program for their child. Just by taking a glance at their site, one can tell how compassionate, understanding and EDUCATED they are to the needs of both the individual child with special needs and the family as a whole."