Beach accessibility is improving but there are no strict standards requiring features like wheelchairs or hard mats on the sand.
From the bridge over Shark River to the clear, fresh water of Lake Como, there are 1.5 miles of coastline stretching through the town of Belmar.
It’s a mission that Kirschenbaum said is personally important to him. His grandson has a severe case of spina bifida, and can’t walk. Without things like mats and wheelchairs, the boy would never be able to enjoy the beach, his grandfather said. Chesney said his organization is talking to elected officials up and down the Jersey Shore to share ideas on ways to improve access. Better ramps are just the beginning — but it shouldn’t stop there, he said.
“When she wants to go in the water we’ll take her down to the water, take her out, and she can sort of play around,” Israel said, calling it a “really, truly relaxing vacation.” And not all people can transfer out of their usual wheelchairs even if they wanted to, said Jessica Krill, a mom who has two daughters with special needs. The beach chairs don’t have three-point harnesses that some disabled people need and are typically uncushioned, she notes.
Lois Hamilton, who has used a wheelchair for the past decade, goes to the F Street Beach in Seaside Park because it's particularly handicap accessible, she said.Lois Hamilton, a lifelong Seaside Park resident who started using a wheelchair about a decade ago, said the improvements made to the F Street beach were life-changing for her.
Belmar, which brought in the most total revenue that summer at more than $5 million, spent $30,000 of it on mats for the beaches without them, as well as additional beach wheelchairs which cost $1,500 each, borough officials said.But at least two towns said beach badge sales still weren’t enough to cover the expenses.
Toms River took $200,000 out of its general budget to pay for accessibility renovations on the Ortley Beach section of town, Mayor Maurice Hill said. “We are not aware of any town that has ever asked to keep Mobi-Mats on their beaches in the winter because of the wear and tear that they would suffer during the winter,” Hajna said in an email, using the name brand for the plastic woven mats used by most towns.
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