FINANCIALLY APPROVED AND SUPPORTED BY THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM
„ P O S E I D O N “
THERAPEUTIC DIVING FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES (PWD)
INTRODUCTION
In Croatia lives 429.421 person with disabilities or 9,7 percent of the overall population. (Vjesnik.hr; 29.03.2011.)
However, there are only 20 registered persons with disabilities who practice diving in Croatia.
The conclusion is that rehabilitation diving is completely neglected as activity in Croatia although we have almost 6000km of coastline with all the islands and we are distinctly Mediterranean country.
At the same time, the number of persons with reduced possibilities in EU is much greater, although the term persons with reduced possibilities is much wider than the term of invalidity
(People with disabilities today represent over 15% of the EU population)
http://ec.europa.eu/health-eu/my_health/people_with_disabilities/index_en.htm
Having said that, Croatia has made a commitment to ensure conditions for complete socialization and better quality of life for persons with reduced possibilities by the time it reaches its full membership.
With this premise, the association of diving centers has defined a development program for rehabilitation diving as our contribution to organize Croatia as highly conscious member of EU.
DRAFT PROGRAM
1. Dive Guides Education
The association of diving centers Altum Mare will organize a course by regulations of internationally recognized diving association for dive guides who already work in member centers, to gain knowledge and skills necessary to work with divers with disability.
During the course there would also be organized workshops where all dive guides will get the status “BUDDY”, a trained dive guide for PWD and at the end of the course, those who successfully pass, will gain internationally recognized status dive guide for Persons with disabilities.
2. Rearrangement of diving centers
There are clear standards for the way the path needs to be for Persons with disabilities, access ramps, which sizes, the way sanitary facilities should be equipped, size of diving boat, how to put ramp for entrance in the sea and much more.
Each diving center which would satisfy the conditions would be given a certificate of the international association that it is capacitated to receive PWD divers.
Also, there is additional equipping with specific diving equipment and other expedients, and handling the equipment which allows free movement to PWD under water.
3. Project marketing
The association of diving centers would be in contact with local community in which diving center for rehabilitation diving operates, with institutions of Croatian republic and diving centers.
Also, by communicating with DN (Diving Network) agency, the information about active diving centers for PWD would be spread across the Europe, to let know about existing of diving centers which are able to organize dives for PWD, even for larger groups.
Specific marketing through institutions, associations and organizations for PWD, also we would start our cooperation with local institutions and associations in Pula and Istrian county.
4. Realization of diving camps
Three diving camps for PWD would be realized during year 2013.
The first one in Pula, in collaboration with Diving Club Pula, the second one in Rovinj in collaboration with Diving Center Puffer and the third in Diving Center Indie – Pula.
Each camp should be attended by 8 PWD divers accompanied by 8 dive guides + 2 persons of expert technical assistance, in the presence of members of local underwater activity clubs as volunteers.
At the end of year 2013, Diving center Puffer and Diving center Indie would join Diving Club Pula which is already active camp for PWD, and they would be the first diving centers in Istria with the diving program for PWD in their offer, with educated employees to approach the realization of therapeutic diving.
THE PROJECT CARRIER
The program carrier is Association of diving centers Altum Mare, which would realize the program in cooperation with partners, Istrian county and associations for helping handicapped from Istria and collaborators from Zagreb (Diving Club Đeronimo which has a section diving for handicapped), Slovenia, Poland and whole Europe. The project is going to develop through phases in 3 levels:
- Guide education and creating the knowledge-base and people for work with handicapped.
- Creating three diving centers for diving with handicapped and defining marketing approach.
- Realization of three diving camps for PWD (in each prepared center one camp)
THE PROJECT GOALS
To develop the health tourism by creating a therapeutic diving program and raising ecological consciousness. To increase the perception of social sensibility within Croatia, as well as abroad To ensure access of elementary conditions: for better socialization of handicapped people, for better health status of handicapped, for achieving self confidence and independence of people with disabilities. To increase diving tourism competitiveness in Istria and Croatia by initiating new activities with the goal of new employment, seasonal and long-term.THE PROJECT TASKS
- To organize the high quality education for all Association members guides
- To ensure the reconstruction of those diving centers which decide to work with PWD
- To create the development strategy for rehabilitation diving
- To define marketing approach for promoting rehabilitation diving in Croatia and European Union
- To create a chain made of min. three centers equipped for handicapped divers assembly in Istria, and ensure the capacity to accept numerous groups of people
- To create Euro center “Euro Riviera” in Istria for rehabilitation diving
CONCLUSION
Realization of such a program would provide a completely different approach of diving and PWD. To create such a program means a high stage of consciousness about involving handicapped people in everyday life and their rehabilitation, not just physical but first of all psychosomatic. But, at the same time we have to be aware that although domestic population of people with disabilities is numerous, the interest for this program won’t be huge. However, nowadays situation shows that therapeutic diving as an organized program in Republic of Croatia doesn’t exist, although there are established international associations for diving with PWD. Such an established thesis is very attractive, it opens valuable economical, social and status potential, but it is also very demanding if we presume to create new trends then the organizer of such an organization has a big responsibility of program sustainability. When we consider everything, things that has been done by the association members in work with PWD, its shown that the association has the knowledge and will, as well as the experience for realization of rehabilitation diving program for people with disabilities.
Predsjednik Tajnik
Željko Kamerla Robert Lehotkai
Dopredsjednik HSACourseDirector
Filip Višić Branislav Danevski