Effects of inclusive training, for the prevention of drowning in people with intellectual disabilities

10 people with intellectual disabilities (five women and five men) have been selected for this study. The first objective of this research is to demonstrate that people with intellectual disabilities do not have the training and resources necessary to prevent drowning. The second objective is to demonstrate that this population can acquire the necessary skills to solve the drowning of another person with minimal risk. To achieve these objectives, the behavior of the sample has been observed when the participants were watching a drowning at three different times (before receiving training, after receiving training, and five months after receiving training). The training consisted in two theoretical-practical sessions developed in a pool. In these sessions, the importance of alerting lifeguards whenever there is a drowning has been highlighted Also, a rescue sequence with ring buoy has been taught so for these people to be able to rescue others from drowning with minimal risk in case a lifeguard is not present. Data were collected with an observation sheet assessing rescuers' safety and level of competence. The results demonstrate that before receiving training, the studied population was not able to perform correctly when a drowning was observed In conclusion, participants were able to learn an aquatic rescue sequence in which the risk for the rescuer was minimal. In short, we recommend that people with intellectual disabilities should not be excluded from the possibility of acquiring these skills.