APPLEGATE Jessica-Jane

Classification
S14, SB14, SM14 (IPC, 12 Feb 2021)

Type of Impairment
Intellectual impairment (insidethegames.biz, 22 Feb 2013)

Impairment Details
She has Asperger syndrome. "I really struggle to cope with people socially. I don't like any changes and trying to concentrate on more than one thing is so difficult but my coach is very understanding. We have a timetable for everything so I have a good routine. We make plans to keep calm and we always have a backup plan so I feel safe." (edp24.co.uk, 29 Jun 2013; insidethegames.biz, 22 Feb 2013)

General
COVID-19 IMPACT
When she was unable to train normally during the COVID-19 pandemic, she initially took up cycling to maintain her fitness. She was eventually able to do swim training in her back garden after a local hot tub company provided her with a hot tub, before upgrading it to a swim spa. "BHTubs had seen my efforts to keep going throughout the lockdown and they offered to support me with my recovery by providing me with a hot tub to soothe my bruises [from cycling]. I felt like I'd won the lottery. It was unbelievable when it arrived. It was delivered on the back of a lorry then lifted over the garden fence by a crane! I am so grateful for it. The swim spa has settings on it which I can turn higher or lower. These adjust the power of jets of water that push against me. I basically then am able to swim on the spot - the faster I wish to go the higher the jet speed needs to be. It takes a while to get used to and it's hard to go out there when it's icy but I really want to get to Tokyo [the 2020 Paralympic Games] so that's what I have to do." (edp24.co.uk, 04 Feb 2021)

SWIMMING SOLACE
She says swimming has helped her to deal with her impairment. "From the moment I first jumped in the water I knew that I wanted to swim, I felt like I could escape in the water and I could go to a safe place where no one could hurt me. I may not have been very good to start with but having a learning disability has never held me back from achieving my dreams. I know that it isn't easy for people with a learning disability. Lack of understanding about what a learning disability is means that things that everyone takes for granted are made impossible for people with a learning disability. But I'm proof that if you've got the right support, you can do anything and anything is possible." (specialolympicsgb.org.uk, 11 Sep 2019)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She has volunteered with the food sharing service Olio, which allows users to give surplus food to others rather than wasting it. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 she helped provide food to more than 100 families. In November 2015 she was named an ambassador for the International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability [INAS]. (paralympic.org, 18 Nov 2015; LinkedIn profile, 01 Mar 2020; britishswimming.org, 03 Dec 2020)

She became the first British swimmer with an intellectual impairment to win a gold medal at the Paralympic Games by claiming victory in the S14 200m freestyle at the 2012 Games in London. (SportsDeskOnline, 02 Sep 2012; telegraph.co.uk, 02 Sep 2012)