Visually Impaired Encouraged to take the Plunge

A ground breaking project is supporting visually impaired people to enjoy the mental and physical benefits of open water swimming by improving access to natural water spaces.

The project by the University of Brighton in Sussex focuses on making blue spaces – such as seas, lakes, and pools – more welcoming and accessible to people with sight loss.

While outdoor swimming is increasingly recognised for its health and wellbeing benefits, many blue spaces remain inaccessible to people with visual impairments.

Often designed with sightedness as the default, these environments can overlook the importance of other senses – such as touch, sound, rhythm, and temperature – which are essential for many swimmers, with or without sight.

Led by researcher Sadie Rockliffe, the project challenges this sight-centred approach by exploring how people with visual impairments connect with water through their other senses.

By bringing together knowledge about inclusivity, nature, and wellbeing, Sadie aims to shift the conversation around accessibility, showing how water’s unique sensory qualities can be a source of wellbeing, not a barrier.

The project also draws attention to the often-overlooked sensory and spatial barriers that affect access to public spaces, including safety, navigation, and comfort.

The first free swim session, for adults with visual impairments, will take place on June 11 from 10.30am to 2.30pm at Sea Lanes Brighton, the UK’s national open water swimming centre, and will include exclusive use of the pool, wellbeing workshop, and space for reflection.

“Blue spaces have incredible potential to support wellbeing, but access isn’t equal,” said Sadie.

“Nature and wellness spaces are often designed with sight in mind – assuming visual appreciation as the main form of engagement. But many people, even sighted swimmers, close their eyes in the water.

“My research explores how blue spaces can be experienced through touch, sound, rhythm, and movement, but also through the materials and supports that make interdependence possible.

“It’s not just about swimming – it’s about creating space for people to explore and enjoy something many take for granted, in ways that feel welcoming, supported, and open to different ways of being.”

Sadie and her colleagues hope the initiative will inspire leisure centres, charities, and policymakers to rethink how blue spaces can be made more accessible and inclusive by listening to the voices and experiences of people who are too often excluded from mainstream design and decision-making.

For further information email Sadie Rockliffe at s.rockliffe1@uni.brighton.ac.uk