IAHD was founded in 1993 and is now an independently operating, non-profit subsidiary of the World Organisation of Scuba Diving (WOSD).

IAHD’s  main goal is to promote, develop and run diver training courses for people with physical or (minor) mental disabilities and for Dive Instructors wishing to train divers with physical or (minor) mental disabilities. In addition, IAHD organises diving holidays for divers with physical or (minor) mental disabilities and inspects facilities to verify their suitability for divers with physical or (minor) mental disabilities. IAHD promotes dive sites with facilities for divers with both physical and (minor) mental disabilities, thus making diving accessible to more people.

IAHD’s courses have been developed following guidelines from the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN).  As a result, the courses are recognised by the European Underwater Federation (EUF), an independent quality control body.

The IAHD is comprised of both disabled and able-bodied people who work together to achieve the IAHD’s goals. Experience has shown that the most effective approach is to encourage those with a disability to try diving, so that they can experience how accessible diving is for them. There are very few disabilities which prevent one from diving. The type of disability varies from person to person as does the way in which one can cope with that disability.

The ultimate aim of the IAHD is to enable disabled people to enjoy the same level of quality (dive) training programs, certifications and diving adventures as able-bodied people.