Beach wheelchairs ensure everyone can enjoy full summer experience

As Massachusetts heats up this summer and the beaches are packed, the state is working to make sure everyone is able to make it down to the water.

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation is spreading the word about its beach wheelchairs at staffed DCR beaches across the state this season.

From sunbathing beach wheelchairs to others that float, the adaptive equipment is available to borrow for free on a first-come-first-served basis at many DCR beaches with lifeguards typically from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

“I see every day somebody see a piece of our equipment that they had no idea existed. We give them a little bit of information on it, and it could be lifechanging,” said Matthew Mitchell, equipment specialist for DCR’s Universal Access Program. “Definitely rewarding seeing people being able to experience something that they wouldn’t otherwise think that they could.”

Sand and sunbathing wheelchairs, which are made of PVC pipe with a cushioned seat and balloon wheels, can smoothly travel across sand. Floating wheelchairs, which have a reclined aluminum frame, chest harness and leg strap, can be used in calm water conditions when a user is wearing a life vest and is accompanied by an able-bodied person for transfer and supervision in the water.

Several beaches also have mats that lead toward the water for those in traditional wheelchairs.

Inspired by her now-23-year-old disabled son Nicholas, Lotte Diomede co-founded non-profit SMILE Mass in 2009. The organization donated its first beach wheelchair to a Cape Cod beach in 2012 and has since donated more than 200 beach wheelchairs across New England, Diomede said.

“It’s summertime. We should all be enjoying it, and without a beach wheelchair, if you have a loved one in a wheelchair, there is no beach,” Diomede said. “If you can get closer to the water and get in the water and get the full experience the whole family wins, and you get to create happy, healthy memories just like everybody else does.”

Nicholas, who was born with hydrocephalus, is legally blind, non-verbal and has a feeding tube, enjoys the beach as much as anyone else. He has been in the ocean with a floating beach wheelchair since he was five years old.

“I feel I have a moral obligation to leave him a better place than what we found,” Diomede said of her efforts in honor of her son, “and that’s what I think we are creating.”

For a list of DCR beaches with beach wheelchairs, visit: Beach wheelchairs | Mass.gov.

You can also call ahead to find out what is available.

Various Massachusetts cities and towns have their own programs for beach wheelchairs.

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