SWIMMING : Ten Pools Offer Lessons for Handicapped

If Tom Jones’ math is correct, a lot of handicapped swimmers have not taken advantage of the Department of Recreation and Parks’ summer aquatic classes.

Jones, a City Recreation and Parks program director for handicapped swimming, estimates that 2% of Los Angeles’ 3 million population is handicapped. Out of the 60,000, he figures that only a fraction of the group--800 to 1,000 handicap swimmers--took leesons at Valley-based pools last summer.

He would like to improve on that this summer.

Beginning June 20, all City parks pools will be open for the summer. Ten of 16 Valley pools will offer classes for the handicapped. Jones, who is an adaptive aquatics instructor at the Van Nuys--Sherman Oaks Park pool, said the program is geared to accommodate all kinds of handicaps.

“We have to take a look and see how they come to us, physically or mentally, to see how we are going to teach them,” Jones said. “Our primary goal is to teach water safety. The water is probably the best medium for the physically handicapped to increase movement.”

Individual instruction is available in the classes, which will be limited to six students. A session of lessons costs $10.25 and can be set up after June 22.

Handicapped swimming lessons will be available at these Valley-based pools this summer: Granada Hills Park; Huburt H. Humphrey Park; North Hollywood Park; Northridge Park; Reseda Park; Sepulveda Park; Valley Plaza Park; Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks Park and Woodland Hills Park.

Information: 981-6614 or 989-8859.