The mother of a disabled girl says her family were left devastated by the treatment they received at a leisure centre during a birthday swimming trip.
Heidi Reid took her 11-year-old daughter Ava, who has Down’s Syndrome, on a special visit to Dimensions Leisure Centre in Stoke-On-Trent to celebrate Ava’s birthday.
But Heidi, of Highfield Road, Bollington, says she was left ‘disgusted’ after staff at the centre tried to force Ava to wear armbands that were too small for her, citing health and safety procedures as the youngster is under 1.4 metres tall.
She also claims that Ava was also told Ava to do a ‘humiliating’ swim to prove her ability, despite the fact she is a competent swimmer set to take part in a special Olympic swimming team program.
Heidi said: “My daughter swims twice a week at our local pool, is an ASA Level 5 swimmer and is about to be entered into the swimming programme for the Special Olympics.
“Yet the staff members refused to listen to reason and demanded she wear armbands that were far to small for her.
“I explained that Ava was only under the required height due to having Down’s Syndrome, but they didn’t listen and said she had to prove her ability.”
Heidi says that Ava was forced to swim a length of the busy infant pool twice, as a lifeguard was not watching her swim the first time.
Heidi added: “That was utterly humiliating for her. Ava could not understand why she should have to swim on command for someone she didn’t know and was getting upset.
“After finding a manager and explaining the situation, we got no help.
“The manager also wanted to see Ava swim again, even though I offered to call our local leisure centre in Macclesfield and put her in contact with my daughter’s swimming coach who would vouch for her ability.”
The family then left the pool after 20 minutes without using any of the facilities.
Heidi added: “In the car on the way home Ava kept asking, ‘I am a good swimmer, aren’t I mummy?’, clearly understanding something was not right.”
After hearing Heidi’s allegations a letter has now been sent to the leisure centre’s general manager from the Down’s Syndrome Association reminding them of their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 and asking them to issue an apology to the family.
A public backlash has also started on the centre’s Facebook page, as dozens of people have left one star reviews, registering their anger at the alleged treatment of the family.
In a statement, a spokesman from Dimensions said: “We have contacted the family directly in response to their experience on visiting Dimensions Leisure Centre.
“We are saddened to hear that they were not able to take advantage of our first class facilities.
“We actively encourage disabled participation, and our facilities are very popular – last year we attracted 270,000 visitors, and have already been visited by 200,000 visitors this financial year.
“Since 2009/10 we have invested £239,000 in installing the latest facilities for disabled people at the centre, including a sensory room, dedicated changing facility, hydrotherapy/dip pool, adaptations to the changing villages, and changes to the reception desk and pool entrance.
“In addition, our staff are trained to comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.
“We are proud of our facilities, and equally proud of our excellent safety record at the centre. We take visitor safety extremely seriously, and as such have an unblemished safety record.
“The decisions that our hard-working staff make on a day-to-day basis are with the safety of all centre visitors in mind.
“We have left messages to speak to the family directly, and have advised them of the council’s corporate complaints procedure, where their concerns can be fully looked into.
“In the meantime, we would like to welcome the family back to the centre free of charge so that they can experience the excellent facilities that are available.”
