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Beach access breaks new ground
Breaking new ground on beach access
Heading down to the beach and feeling the sand between our toes is a feeling that many of us in Western Australia take for granted. But for those in our community with a physical disability, it can be an insurmountable challenge.
So explains Chris Peck, Operations Manager for Surf Life Saving WA who is currently involved in the Lotterywest supported ‘Beach Wheelchair Access Pilot Project’, involving Surf Life Saving Western Australia and the Disability Services Commission, together with the WA Local Government Association, the Town of Cottesloe, the City of Fremantle, the City of Nedlands and the Disabled Surfers Association of WA.
According to Chris, it was a meeting of like minded organisations when Surf Life Saving WA (SLSWA) approached the Disability Services Commission about SLSWA’s strategic desire to be more inclusive of the broader community.
“It just so happened that they were having some preliminary discussions with local governments on developing a program to provide universal beach access.”
And so began the establishment of a consortium around August last year, with the organisations working together to produce a pilot program to evaluate existing beach wheelchairs and access.
“We were the most obvious organisation to take a lead on the project”, says Chris.
“We have the infrastructure and facilities where equipment can be stored, and of course, we run patrols where the chairs were to be tested, so it was us who approached Lotterywest for grant support.”
As part of the pilot, a number of wheelchairs were purchased for use by the community at Leighton, North Cottesloe and Swanbourne beaches.
The wheelchairs were then assessed by Occupational Therapy Masters students from Curtin University on their suitability for specific disabilities and access requirements.
“It’s not new – providing beach access to people with a disability”, says Chris.
“So we wanted to take it a step further. With this project, we wanted to align particular chairs to people’s disabilities. Because what we do know about beach wheelchairs is that one size doesn’t fit all.”
“It wasn’t just about getting people into the water. It was about getting people with a disability onto the beach - the sand - with a sense of dignity.”
The project team advertised when the chairs would be available and had members from organisations such as Rocky Bay and the Disabled Surfer’s Association involved in testing the chairs. This ‘practical’ part of the trial began in January at the three Perth beaches involved, and has recently wound up.
To make sure program participants had suitable access and facilities available for the testing, portable toilets and changing rooms were hired for the trial using Lotterywest grant monies. The team also sourced special matting to allow greater mobility on the beach sand. Called mobi-matting and imported from France, in Chris’s own words “it doesn’t come cheap!”
“This is what $44,336 of our $63,968 grant was spent on. A $25 m roll (1.5m wide) costs $6,000 a roll – which is why Lotterywest support was integral.”
The matting though, was a huge hit.
“We found that with this matting, even ‘normal’ wheelchairs not specialised for beach access performed well, and the wider community, like people with prams, were using it too. It also prompted an amazing amount of people to ask questions about the project. All of them though it was outstanding and something that should have been done a long time ago.”
The final part of this project will be a ‘best practice model’ for disability beach access that local governments can adopt.
“In practical terms, it’s about people with a disability being able to say - I’m going to that beach because I know that I can, and it’s got a chair that’s going to suit my disability.”
“Our audit of coastal locations found that 94% didn’t cater for disabilities”, says Chris.
“We’re hoping that our model will be adopted by all local governments allowing flexible access and choices for disabled beachgoers.”
For information on specific locations call:
| Leighton Beach | Adelaide Woods |
9432 9923 (City of Fremantle) |
| North Cottesloe Beach | Graham Pattrick | 9285 5060 (Town of Cottesloe) |
| Swanbourne Beach | Marion Granich | 9273 3555 (City of Nedlands) |