Make it Accessible and they will come: Inclusive beaches for wheelchair users
A beautiful beach with clear blue waves with feet and the end of a wheelchair.
Investing in accessibility is costly. That is what most people think.
So costly that many organisations will hesitate to make a space accessible as they wonder if it is truly worth it.
At the core of ‘worth it’ is the doubt that people with disabilities will come and use the newly accessible features.
I can tell you that if you make it accessible, we will come!
When you don’t have disabled patrons, you shouldn’t assume that it is because they are not interested in what you sell or offer. The lack of disabled people using a service is usually more related to the inaccessibility of a place, not their lack of interest.
Inaccessibility makes it harder for us to go somewhere.
Inaccessibility makes us rely on others to do what everyone else can do on their own.
Inaccessibility might also bring an increase cost for us.
And truthfully, not every disabled person has the money, the energy to fight their way through or the social network to get there.
An inclusive beach community
One day, on vacation in New Brunswick with Thomas, my son aged 2 years old, and my parents. We decided to spend the day at that beach. My dad had looked around and had found a place he thought we could work something out.
Long beaches, with huge sand dunes – stairs going up, over the dunes and then back down to the beach and ocean.
Getting on the beach was difficult as both my parents needed to coordinate their efforts and pull me up those stairs one by one, while keeping a two-year-old out of the way – yet nearby. When we arrived onto the beach… there were two dozen of people already there who ALL looked at us as my mom and dad tried to push me onto the sand.
Nobody said or did anything, but everyone watched us – as if we were animals who had gotten out of a zoo. But when it was time to leave – one man got up and told my dad he would help me get to the stairs.
The next day, that man was waiting for us and as soon as he saw us, he came to help. His daughter asked to take Thomas to play while we got settled.
When it was time to leave, the man was ready, and another man asked to help.
By the third day, everyone had their role and executed their function seamlessly. I was offered buoys to swim in the ocean by a group of ladies who had seen me get to the water in a bed sheet. Everyone pitched in – they all made me part of their community. I belonged and they were going to make it so. Each offered what they could do to help and make my stay on our communal beach the best it could be.
This was an incredible experience.
Favoring autonomy in every inclusive experiences
Although I always recount this story as one of the most incredible experience in my life, I still believe there is a better way to make everyone feel included.
What if I could go on the beach and in the water on my own?
What if I didn’t have to hope for strong people to land a hand?
After carrying me over those steps over the sand dunes, my parents believed there was an easier way to get me rolling on sand. So when they saw this special wheelchair called The Hippocampe, they made sure I would have access to one of those. There was a way to rent one, but to have more flexibility and a better cost-benefit, we bought one that we could take on family trips.
In a recent trip, as I left my hotel room in the Hippocampe, I saw many eyes and heads turn. Then, as I arrived on the beach, an older woman came to talk to me. Where could she get one of those? She said. Her mother was in their hotel room right now. Due to hip surgery, walking on sand had become difficult for her. She felt the Hippocampe would have allowed her to enjoy the sand, the beach and the water.
Several other people approached me about the chair. Each had a family member or a friend who might benefit from using it. Each hoping they could offer a way for their loved ones to feel included in all their activities.
The Hippocampe is not magical. Someone needs to push me and it requires some strength to pull me. But it makes the beach area a whole lot more accessible.
Canada’s promise to making the outdoor accessible
Some provinces in Canada are very serious in making outdoor spaces accessible to people with mobility disabilities. For example, New Brunswick has a program where people with disabilities can rent equipment that allows us to partake in sports and recreation activities.
You can find several beaches in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that have been made accessible thanks to Mobi mats and adaptive chairs.
You can find other accessible activities offered by Parks Canada.
In Québec, the organisation Kéroul provides information on where to rent equipment, but also offers a certification program on accessibility. You can also find lists of tourist attractions and their level of certification.
The Rick Hansen Foundation also provides a certification program and accessibility training and education.
A woman is sitting in a beach wheelchair called The Hippocampe.
written by
Marjorie Aunos, PhD., is an internationally renowned researcher, adjunct professor, clinical psychologist, and award-winning inspirational speaker from Montreal, Canada.
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