True Testimonials
"Alix is my son’s instructor. As a parent of three autistic young adults, I’ve always wished for a program like JAAR. My children have always had an affinity for water, but couldn’t swim or float, so their favorite sensory experience was dangerous. With water resilience training, my son can now float and do a backstroke, he’s more confident and aware in water, and has more fun knowing if his stimming were to lead him into deep water he’d be able to float and get to safety. He also really enjoyed the exercise and evening in the pool. I noticed he slept better on the days he had lessons and seemed calmer as well. I’m so thankful for this potentially life saving program! I look forward to the day when there is a JAAR aquatics center where he and his peers can practice water resilience regularly. Thank you again Alix and team for all of your hard work!" - Tiffany Rosenbrock
"The program is one of its kind and I am thankful our community is going to benefit from this. The instructors are patient, kind and willing to work diligently keeping your child's individual needs and pace in mind! Highly recommend the @JAAR program!" - Meenakshi Kathuria
"Eryn was my child's teacher. She was great interacting with him and displayed patience allowing him to enjoy exploring in the pool while also motivating him to learn new things! He has had such a great time with lessons and we have seen SO MUCH improvement in his skills and confidence in the water. Our family is so happy we found your program and think your mission is so important. Thank you for what you do for families like us! It has been wonderful! We will speak nothing but wonderful things of the JAAR program! Thanks again!" - Jordin Hoefler
“Alix Jordan, has proven to be an outstanding instructor, going above and beyond to ensure that S. receives the best possible instruction and guidance. She took the time to get to know S. and understand his strengths and weaknesses in the water, tailoring lessons to meet S.'s specific needs. Alix's approach is methodical, yet fun and engaging, which has helped S. feel confident and excited about learning. She is patient, encouraging, and always willing to provide additional support and guidance when needed. S. has made remarkable progress under Alix's tutelage and has developed a newfound love for swimming. She’s truly a standout teacher and we feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with her.” - Tony Alvarez
Eryn, I honestly was blown away by the progress M. made in the short period of time he was in the program. M. has always had high sensory processing issues, so water in his face has been a no. I am happy to say after the five weeks swimming with Eryn, M. was diving for rings in the pool as well as swimming across the pool, with his face / head consistently underwater. The instructor also encouraged us to further pursue swimming for M.. He loved it. All around amazing program! Ty ❤️ - Jessica Herrera
"My child had a wonderful experience with Alix and is much more confident and skilled than when she began. I would definitely recommend the program to all children who have special needs. The program far exceeded what I had expected!" - Anonymous feedback (Sessions 6/7)
"This program is AMAZING 
Alix is the best! She is so amazing with our neurodivergent kiddos. She gets it." - Melanie Huskey-Griffin
"Eryn was wonderful and our kiddo made some huge progress with her. He learned to float on his back and she really helped him improve his swim stroke as well. We feel so much better about the summer coming up knowing he is safer around the water. Thank you!" - Anonymous feedback (Sessions 8/9)
"Loved this program! Working with our 17-year-old on water safety skills is critical, and they made great progress within a few sessions!” – Sara Hague
"Alix had the skills and patience to work effectively with my son. She obviously just enjoys it which makes her a great instructor too!" - Anonymous feedback (Session 5)
"It was great having someone work with my son who worked with his sensory issues and gave lots of suggestions on how work with it. I wish we could do it 1 more time so that he could make even more progress. It has been hard finding swim lessons that worked to get him comfortable with putting his head under water. I appreciate the patience Alix showed to my son as he worked to get more comfortable." - Anonymous feedback (Sessions 8/9)
"I love working at JAAR! Alix is a great director and I feel blessed to work with the kids she has introduced me to. This has been a wonderful learning experience for me and I can’t wait to see what else JAAR accomplished in the future!" – Claire Ridgeway
A Parent's Journey Through JAAR Program
Review by Dr. Liz Budd University of Oregon Professor and JAAR parent
In August 2023, after almost two years of no success accessing appropriate swim lessons for my autistic 5-year-old son, I saw an ad for JAAR on Facebook and reached out immediately to share more about my son and my longing for him to learn to swim. As a life-long swimmer, I didn’t only want my son to be safe around water, I wanted him to learn to swim, and be able to garner the joy and health benefits swimming has to offer throughout his life.
Alix, JAAR’s Executive Director and Head Instructor, responded quickly to my message indicating she would love to welcome my son, Benny, into the JAAR program. The program offered some flexibility in days and times to attend twice-a-week swim lessons. We had the earliest slot from 4:20-4:50 PM on Monday and Thursdays. Our direct support worker brought Benny to and from lessons on many of the days. Alix’s training in accessible education and her passion for coaching kids with disabilities were obvious from the start. She and my son literally jumped right in—Alix met Benny where he was each day and balanced Benny’s favorite pool movements (e.g., going under water) with new water safety skills like back float and moving himself along the wall of the pool. Alix was a quick learner of Benny’s unique modes of communication and was able to honor his autonomy while also challenging him to grow.
The JAAR program employs a novel instructional system that scaffolds kids’ learning of basic water comfort and safety skills to stroke techniques. The number of skills a kid acquires through the six-week program varies by kid and their starting skillset, but progress is consistent across all kids and Alix has the data to prove it. My son mastered 25 new skills in JAAR (16 skills is the average across their first 20 students)! This little program, which is free to the families it serves, is doing everything in its power to fill a giant gap in the provision of appropriate life-saving swim services for kids with disabilities in the Eugene/Springfield area. There are many families like ours in this community who were not receiving equitable services until JAAR came along. I highly recommend the program and, for those with resources, to support the program financially so JAAR can continue to create a more inclusive community.
