Familias
The program “Disfrutar el Mar,” for children with special needs, shows that real inclusion is possible. Now they send a clear message: more sports and leisure spaces are needed where all children can fit in.
The tide rises slowly on Somo beach, and the sound of the water blends with children’s laughter. On the shore, a few surfboards wait their turn. There’s no competition, no medals. Just a group of little ones discovering, between foam and salt air, that the sea can belong to them too. That’s the heart of Disfrutar el Mar, a program that for fifteen years has turned the beach into a space for play, therapy, and belonging. It is led by Simone Tiemann, an occupational therapist from Germany who has lived in Cantabria for over twenty-three years. One day she decided that water could be more than a beautiful setting. It could be a door.
“I found it super interesting to use the sea and the beach as spaces with great potential. Water, the sea, are very valuable resources for therapy,” she explains. But the seed of it all wasn’t just therapeutic — it was also a response to what was missing. “In sports and leisure, there was really nothing available for children facing developmental challenges,” she says.
From that absence, a small seed sprouted in the summer of 2010: three children diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), one surfboard, and a group of volunteers who believed the sea could be inclusive. “We started with just three children that first year. We kept it going for the whole summer, and it was a total success,” Simone recalls. She still remembers what one of the mothers told her back then: “I never imagined my son could take part in an activity without his parents, and less in the sea.” That summer changed more than routines — it proved that when the right environment is provided, inclusion stops being just a concept.
Over time, the small group became a non-profit association with a trained team of volunteers, its own working method, and a network of local supporters, from the Cantabrian Surf School to the Cantabrian Surfing Federation and local councils. “Year after year, the quality has improved, as well as the training of participants, safety, and the benefit the children can get,” Simone says.
The activity usually has a regulating effect. They calm down, stay more focused, and connect better with their own bodies
But growth has also brought limits. This summer, 26 children were able to take part, while another 27 were left without a spot. Not for lack of enthusiasm, but out of responsibility. “We’ve realized we can guarantee full quality attention for every child only up to a certain number,” she explains, before describing the daily reality faced by these children and their families. “The need to take part in sports or leisure activities has increased enormously. There’s huge demand and very few opportunities for them to join in.”
When it was created, there was really nothing available for children facing developmental challenges
Simone doesn’t want Disfrutar el Mar to grow without limits. She wants others to replicate it, to see similar initiatives emerge where all kinds of children, each with their own challenges, can participate. “We’re not aiming to just grow and grow — we want visibility. We need sports and leisure spaces where everyone can take part. And this can apply to any sport or activity,” she says firmly. Her message is aimed at clubs, federations, and town councils — at everyone who designs children’s activities without considering that some kids are always left out. “Clubs, schools, and municipalities have a responsibility. Public entities must adapt their programs so they’re accessible to every kind of child development.”
Her voice carries the calm of someone who has spent a long time paddling against the same current. Fifteen years of learning, mistakes, intuition, and small victories. “When we met this year to celebrate our anniversary, many said, ‘We have to celebrate these fifteen years.’ And yes, we’ve managed to keep a wonderful association running smoothly, but to me, we’re not in a situation to celebrate. We still have very little progress in many areas. Everyone talks about inclusion, but not about real inclusion,” she states.
Many are excluded and have no options. Neither in play centers nor in psychomotor sports activities is there real inclusion for certain children. And that cannot be
“At the beach, we’ve achieved it. The sea makes no distinctions. In the water, all children are part of the same group — they share a board, a laugh, a wave. ‘We want to encourage connection, belonging. For the child to feel: I belong here. We all wear a red lycra; we’re part of the same team.’ That routine, she says, is what gives structure, what teaches them to connect with others and with themselves.”
Visible effects
The results show quickly. “The activity usually has a very regulating effect. The children calm down more, are more attentive, more connected to their own bodies. It also helps them connect with the people around them,” she explains. Some discover new coordination, others an unexpected joy. “There are children for whom the difference between how they are outside the water and inside is enormous. Suddenly, they’re wide awake, eager to repeat, communication increases… It’s like, ‘Wow, this is me.’”
Disfruta el Mar is funded through a grant from the Regional Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports, a symbolic fee of 40 euros per child, and the collaboration of local surf schools that provide the equipment and facilities. Everything else — the dedication, the hours, the patience — is voluntary. “There was a time when we thought about professionalizing it, about paying all the instructors, but we decided not to change our mindset. We don’t want to become a company. What we need isn’t more money for ourselves, but more places prepared to support these children,” Simone insists.
That “more places” is at the heart of her message. Because while various institutions congratulate themselves on their inclusion policies, the reality during summer — in play centers or sports activities — shows something else: exclusion. “Many children are excluded and have no options. This summer has once again shown a season in which neither in play centers nor in psychomotor sports activities is there real inclusion for certain children. And that cannot be. We need to create many more opportunities.”