Posted By anon1234 I think your approach is perfectly sensible and they should be allowed to swim. Banning would fall into the same old trap that we get slated for regularly in the press

Posted By Tanya Boyce strangley they where going to let her shoot and had taken the stance that removing the ear pieces would be fine - no ear defenders because shes deaf..... I did take the libity of pointing out this type of implant requires the wearer to have some very limited auditory range so she has tro have ear defenders to protect what is left or possibly left. Whys stop a girl who wants to do normal activities from doing them, surely encourage her. I dispair. Red wine tonight I think.

Posted By MartB What reason did the regional office give for not letting the teenager swim after advising them of the controls you have mentioned? Martb

Posted By David Passmore I would have thought that the swimming pool would have a visual alarm (i.e.flashing lights)to compliment an audible alarm due to the fact that should an activation occur, many people could be swimming underwater or have their hearing impaired by wearing plugs to prevent ingress of water to the ear. I would check as to whether such an alarm is installed within the pool building. Apologies for going of topic slightly, but I had the same problem with a worker who was claimed he was partially deaf in one ear. He insisted on inserting only one plug in his 'good ear' with the other hanging down his shoulder. Without knowing the official condition of his partial deafness, I insisted he inserted both plugs until he could provide me with an official medical document on his condition or reasoning as to why both plugs could not be worn. Such information was not provided therefore I insisted he wore the plugs like the rest of his colleagues. I never take notice of a "self diagnosis"!

Posted By Richard Altoft With systems in place to deal with emergencies then to let her learn what is both a healthy and a potentially life saving skill is eminently sensible. Good for you for sticking to your guns. H&S is about doing things with risks under control not about banning them Keep up the good work R

Posted By Greyman You may also like to consider the DDA regs and how there have to be 'reasonable' adjustments made to accommodate disabilities. Your R/A can mention all the above points for getting them out in case of an emergency. This is a similar case to one we have and we just have a plain simple R/A to cover the issues for this student and the extra arrangements made with the swimming pool. You can also use a 'buddy' system.

Posted By JohnV Nice to see common sense prevailing on this. Picking up an early comment on deaf people sometimes not seeing the need to wear ear protection, I understand that even if the hearing is completely lost it is still possible to get tinnitus as a result of exposure to loud noises. I always try to explain this point (via an interpreter where necessary) if I come across the occasional deaf person who refuses to comply.

Posted By Nicola Carroll Tanya, your proposed control measures seem fine and in keeping with common sense and the girl's own sensibilities. As a matter of interest has anyone ever been asked about their hearing or eyesight when entering a sports centre or swimming pool? As a teen I was part of a Martial arts group which met in a huge sports complex, one of the group was totally deaf- no implants in those days, apart form one of the teachers occasionally reapeating the instructions of the Japanese tutor there was never a problem- we had a pre arranegd buddy system in case an alarm ewent off and agreed pre arranged rendevouz points. Nic