Pacific Grove >> Starting Sunday, Asilomar State Beach will be more accessible for people needing to use a wheelchair or a walker to enjoy the ocean and shoreline.
That’s thanks to a grant from the California Coastal Commission, which was used to purchase a sand-friendly beach wheelchair and beach walker for disabled visitors to the beach and Conference Grounds.
“I think this site is a really good place for that money to be spent because we have so many people staying here because of the conference grounds,” said Lisa Bradford, an interpreter there who handles tours and educational programs. “There’s a built-in audience here.”
Bradford applied for the grant money that purchased the new equipment. Funding in the amount of $3,470 paid for both the wheelchair and walker and came out of the Coastal Commission’s Whale Tail Grants Program, which distributes money for programs that educate about the value of coastal resources.
This isn’t the first time Asilomar has had a beach wheelchair. A previous grant funded the purchase of a beach wheelchair in 2002, but it became worn down and needed to be replaced.
Asilomar is serving as the 2017 test pilot site for its utilization of the new walker.
“We had a wheelchair before — because there was a proven track record I thought I could get the grant money,” Bradford said. “So they decided they would give us additional grant money to buy the walker.”
Both pieces of equipment are made by Florida-based Deming Designs, Inc. The “De-Bug” beach wheelchair incorporates Wheeleez wheels to navigate sand while its rear suspension is designed to allow all four wheels to remain in contact with the ground while moving across uneven terrain. Swing-away arm rests are easily removable for the lateral transfers of a user. The chair does require an assistant to push the occupant across deep sand to the ocean’s edge.
Constructed of lightweight aluminum, the walker is based on conventional design but also has the Wheeleez wheels to easily navigate sand.
Both pieces of equipment are free to use for Asilomar visitors. The equipment can be signed out from the conference grounds front desk.
Over the years, the Coastal Commission has helped numerous California beaches acquire the wheelchairs.
“We’ve funded more than 50 up and down the coast,” said Chris Parry, manager of the public education program at the Coastal Commission, noting that one was just purchased for Catalina Island while several were bought for Crystal Cove State Park in Laguna Beach.
Bradford said they’re more than worth the money and recalled the first time she saw them in action.
“It was with a class that came from the Sierra Foothills and one child had cerebral palsy — and she was able to have the beach experience with the rest of her class because there was a wheelchair,” said Bradford. “It was just kind of one of those magical days where the kids were so loving. She definitely was a part of this class and it was so exciting for me to be able to see she was able to be a part of the class because of the equipment.”
Parry said she’s eager to hear about how the new walker is received.
“We haven’t funded one in the past so we’re interested in hearing from Asilomar how much it is used because that might be something we can fund in the future,” said Parry.
Carly Mayberry can be reached at 831-726-4363.