What does change look like when research, community, and local leadership come together?
This summer, Sea Lanes Brighton (the UK’s national open water swimming centre) is running a series of VI-only swim sessions, developed in response to feedback from the co-designed research pilot in June. Taking place every Wednesday from 11am–12pm, the pool is closed to the public to offer a calm, welcoming space for people with lived experience of sight loss.
The sessions are the result of a collaboration between the VI community, South Downs Leisure, Sea Lanes, my doctoral research – which explores how visually impaired people experience water through sound, rhythm, movement, and sensation.
Every aspect of the pilot day helped shape what followed: the format, the atmosphere, and the small but important details that make access real…from multisensory guidance to flexible swim styles and trusted space.
The impact has already been significant. Dozens of new swimmers have booked in, national and local media have shared the story, and conversations continue to grow about what inclusive blue space design really means.
This is research in motion – where lived experience doesn’t sit at the margins, but leads.
Huge thanks to Sea Lanes, Sight Support Worthing, and every swimmer who’s helped shape this work.