Autism Swim expands global impact with Totara and Catalyst

Autism Swim (AS) is an award-winning international charity on a mission to reduce drowning risks for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and make aquatics more inclusive worldwide.

By training and certifying aquatic professionals—from swimming and surfing instructors to occupational therapists—Autism Swim equips organisations with the skills needed to support individuals with ASD safely in aquatic environments.

Today, Autism Swim supports a rapidly growing global community of learners, helping deliver life-changing aquatic experiences to thousands of families.

The Challenge

In October 2018, Autism Swim partnered with Catalyst IT Australia to support their transition to online learning delivery.

The primary objective was to create an intuitive and engaging learning management system, particularly as many learners had little to no prior experience with online learning.

The platform needed to:

• cover all certification requirements
• support a variety of learning styles
• deliver content progressively, including monthly resources and quarterly quizzes
• offer reporting and analytics capabilities to monitor learner progress, ensure compliance, and enable ongoing improvements

The Solution

Working with Catalyst, Autism Swim implemented Totara as a fully customised learning platform designed around its certification model.

Hosted on Catalyst IT’s secure and scalable cloud infrastructure on Amazon Web Services (AWS), the platform was fully tailored to Autism Swim’s needs. A streamlined dashboard was introduced to enhance learner engagement, while Totara’s dynamic audiences simplified and improved the enrolment experience.

The platform supports a wide range of content formats, including PDFs, images and video.

Catalyst’s re-engagement plugin was used to schedule monthly content releases, alongside the delivery of mandatory quarterly quizzes.

Robust reporting and analytics also played a key role in Autism Swim’s digital transformation.

Working closely together, Catalyst and Autism Swim developed custom reports to track learners who have not yet met certification requirements. These reports consolidate data from multiple sources, providing clear visibility into learner progress. In addition, scheduled course completion reports are automatically shared with relevant stakeholders, such as organisational leaders and managers.

The Results

The shift to online learning, powered by a customised and scalable cloud-based LMS, has delivered significant and measurable benefits for Autism Swim.

By moving away from traditional classroom delivery, many logistical barriers have been reduced, making certification programmes more accessible and enabling Autism Swim to progress its expansion ambitions.

With a centralised LMS in place, Autism Swim can efficiently create and update courses for its global learner community. The platform also provides valuable analytics and reporting capabilities, helping to continuously refine and improve course content.

Autism Swim is now better equipped to support a range of learning styles while continuing to advance its mission on a global scale.

Shortly after launching the platform, Autism Swim expanded into Malaysia, followed by Singapore, the UK and the US.

At the start of its partnership with Catalyst IT in 2018, Autism Swim supported over 1,000 learners across 15 countries. By 2025, this reach has more than doubled, with learners now supported in 31 countries worldwide.

Looking ahead

Now recognised as a global leader in inclusive aquatics, Autism Swim continues to realise its mission with the support of scalable online learning solutions and trusted partners, including Catalyst IT Australia, who have provided hosting and fully managed services for over seven years.