IAHD全称为国际残障潜水协会，是一个成立于1993年的非营利组织，总部设在荷兰的Middenmeer 。自成立以来，IAHD已在全球范围内培训了数以千计的潜水员和潜水专业人士。
IAHD stands for the International Association for Handicapped Divers and is a non-profit organization with its headquarter in Middenmeer, the Netherlands. The organization was established in 1993. Since the start we have educated and certified thousands of divers and dive professionals worldwide.
我们的使命是让残疾人士可以轻松地尝试潜水。为了完成这一使命，我们培训潜水专业人员成为IAHD的教练。IAHD已经拥有许多积极的教练教残疾人如何潜水。这些IAHD教练分布于世界各地，从有冰冻水域的芬兰到拥有温暖水域的巴厘岛。
Our mission is to make scuba diving accessible for disabled people. To fulfill this mission, we educate diving professionals to become IAHD instructors. Globally the IAHD hasmany active instructors and representatives, who teach disabled people how to dive. There are IAHD instructors worldwide, from the freezing waters of Finland to the warm waters of Bali
在IAHD成立之前，已经有多项研究，以探讨是否存在让残疾人士潜水的可行性。由于当时没有相关残疾人士潜水的规定，IAHD成立后开始制定这个行业的规范。虽然是相对较小的组织，却得到了潜水界越来越多的关注。
Prior to the first courses, years of comprehensive research have been done to explore the possibilities of scuba diving with a disability and how to setup and compose such a program. As there were no regulations for scuba diving for and with disabled people, the IAHD has been established to create more structure in this. Although our organization is relatively small, the diving community is becoming more and more aware of our activities.
该组织由自愿者组成的委员会管理，其中既有残障人士也有普通人，为了共同实现IAHD的目标 。让人们热衷于潜水的最好方式是让他们直接去体验。水肺潜水是最佳的途径，很容易判定出是否适合潜水，而事实表明，只有少数障碍人士不可以尝试潜水。一个残疾人和一个坦然面对自己残疾的人，他们的生活是不一样的。
The organization consists of a board of voluntary members, both disabled and able bodied, whose aim is to realize the objectives of the IAHD. We do this in co-operation with friends of the organisation. The best way to get people enthusiastic about diving is to let them experience it. Trying scuba diving is the best way, but also to explore if it is possible at all. There are only a few handicaps that does not allow a disabled person to dive. The way a person is disabled and the way they choose to live with their
disability, differs from person to person.
潜水为残疾人开辟了另一个天地。不管什么原因造成的残疾，他们的自尊心往往会通过潜水而增加。充满挑战的潜水会给精神上带来很大的兴奋。我们也很高兴听到潜水带给他们的一些积极成果，如改善运动功能，肌肉组织的生长和恢复，身体的协调和呼吸。潜水还让“轮椅上的人”获得真正的行动自由 。对于许多人来说，潜水已被证明是非常有效的康复治疗方法，并逐渐成为 “主流”融入社会。
Scuba diving offers disabled people an extra dimension. No matter the reason for the disability a disabled person’s self-esteem will often be improved by diving. The challenge of diving is a tremendous stimulant for a person’s mental condition. It is fantastic to hear about the positive results a person can achieve, like improvement of motor functions, muscle tissue development and retention, co-ordination and respiration. Scuba diving also provides real freedom of movement for those who are, "tied to a wheelchair". For many, scuba diving has proven to be invaluable rehabilitation therapy and has clearly aided in the process of "mainstreaming" back into society.
在这些进行普通事情都不容易的人的生命里，完成水肺潜水课程肯定可算是一种胜利。我们有经常听到这样一句话，“在水下的时候真正不再感觉或受阻于自己的残疾”。这是了不起的事情，就算为了这一个理由，我们也要继续做下去。
In a life where not everything comes easy nor is common, completing a scuba dive course is a triumph. A frequently heard remark is, how someone no longer feels or experience their handicap while they are under water. That is fantastic and for this reason alone we would do it any day!
“中潜联盟”也加入国际残障潜水协会的行列，希望带领中国的残障人朋友接触美妙大海，亲近绚丽多彩的海洋生物，享受内太空的自由。
关于残疾人潜水的问题咨询，请发邮件到chinadive0898@163.com或电话 ：400 - 688 - 9015 。
IAHD官方网站 http://www.iahd.org
