When the ocean\u2019s call beckons, San Diego\u2019s residents and visitors alike flock to the coastal communities by the hundreds, particularly during the city\u2019s warm summer months. For beachgoers with disabilities, however, a simple venture to the beach can be a daunting and discouraging undertaking. Now, thanks to the efforts of councilmembers, community groups and advocates for those with disabilities, wheelchair-bound beachgoers, too, can effortlessly answer the ocean\u2019s enticing call. Just in time for summer, community leaders have banded together to supply three new beach wheelchairs at San Diego\u2019s busiest beaches. The wheel-chairs, which have oversize, all-terrain wheels and a water-friendly cushioned seat, allow those who are mobility disabled to easily access the ocean, at no cost to the user. La Jolla Shores Surfing Association member Amelia Opean \u2014 an avid swimmer and wheelchair-bound paraplegic \u2014 spearheaded the fundraising effort to fix La Jolla Shores\u2019 only beach wheelchair last year. “I\u2019ve been swimming down at La Jolla Shores about six years,” she said. “The chair wasn\u2019t working too well last year, so I stepped up to raise some money to get it fixed. Co-workers, friends, families \u2014 we all pitched in \u2014 and the La Jolla Shores Surfing Association was generous enough to match those funds.” When area councilmembers Sherri Lightner, Kevin Faulconer and Todd Gloria discovered Opean\u2019s efforts, they, too, decided to donate funds from their own office budgets for the cause. “I can\u2019t thank the councilmembers enough,” Opean said. “To step up and actually buy a new wheelchair is beyond my dreams. I thought we were just going to get the old one repaired. Now we have plenty of chairs that can get me down to the water.” With the new additions, at least two manual beach wheelchairs are available for free at the La Jolla Shores, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach and Pacific Beach lifeguard towers. To reserve ahead, visit the lifeguard towers or call (619) 980-1876. “All San Diegans and visitors deserve the opportunity to enjoy our city\u2019s beaches, bays and natural wonders,” said Faulconer. “These new beach wheelchairs will help beachgoers and surfers with disabilities to feel every bonfire, taste every s\u2019more, watch every sunset and catch every wave.” Other partners include the Disability Services Advisory Council, which donated funds for the new wheelchairs; San Diego\u2019s Park and Recreation Department, which will oversee the program; and San Diego lifeguards, who will assist beach wheelchair users.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When the ocean\u2019s call beckons, San Diego\u2019s residents and visitors alike flock to the coastal communities by the hundreds, particularly during the city\u2019s warm summer months. For beachgoers with disabilities, however, a simple venture to the beach can be a daunting and discouraging undertaking. Now, thanks to the efforts of councilmembers, community groups and advocates […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":270201,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11561","_seopress_titles_title":"Disabled beachgoers have new tool to roam the sand","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11551,11561],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-270200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-peninsula-beacon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=270200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/270201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}