Adapted Aquatics Programming—A Professional Guide

Monica Lepore, EdD, is a professor at West Chester University of Pennsylvania in West Chester. A master teacher of adapted aquatics, Dr. Lepore has been an American Red Cross water safety instructor for more than 25 years. She has a degree in leadership in adapted physical education and was a recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame Adapted Aquatics Award in 2001. In 2006 she was named AAHPERD/AAPAR Adapted Physical Education Professional of the Year, and she has been on the Top 100 Aquatics Professionals list twice. She acted as chair for AAHPERD/AAPAR adapted aquatics from 2000 to 2005 and received a Meritorious Award from the Aquatic Council of AAHPERD/AAPAR in 2005. In her leisure time, Dr. Lepore enjoys swimming, biking, and hiking.

G. William Gayle, PhD, CAPE, is a professor and coordinator of adapted physical education at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. A master teacher of adapted aquatics, Dr. Gayle has been an American Red Cross water safety instructor for over 20 years. He holds degrees from Virginia Tech and University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse and a doctorate in adapted physical education and psychology of mental retardation and developmental disabilities from Ohio State University. In 1988 he was inducted into the Ohio Wheelchair Sports Hall of Fame. He served on the AAHPERD/AAPAR adapted aquatics committee from 2000 to 2005. In 2006 he was inducted into the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Intercollegiate Division Hall of Fame and selected as Teacher of the Year in the College of Education and Human Services at Wright State University. He has provided adapted aquatics programs for university students and surrounding school districts for several decades. In his leisure time, he enjoys golfing, swimming, and traveling internationally.

Shawn F. Stevens, EdD, is executive director of Edgemoor Community Center in Wilmington, Delaware. Dr. Stevens has been an American Red Cross instructor trainer for water safety, lifeguarding, first aid, CPR, and AED for 25 years, and he was an adapted aquatics instructor trainer for 18 years. Overall, he has provided leadership in conducting aquatics programs for 30 years, and he assisted with the development of the ADA Accommodation Resource Guide for the American Red Cross. In his spare time, he serves as a volunteer instructor trainer and leadership volunteer for the American Red Cross, and he also enjoys golfing and swimming.