As the Council representative on the Oshawa Accessibility Advisory Committee (OAAC) I can attest to the great excitement and pleasure the OAAC members and I experienced at Lakeview Park for the official launch of the Accessible Beach Mats July 11, 2019.
Lisa Hart, the 2019 OAAC Chair and a wonderful champion for a barrier-free Oshawa, when testing out the beach mats gave an uplifting response, captured by reporter Reka Szekely in the Oshawa This Week newspaper article: "“I got my feet wet, I’m just so darn happy to get my feet wet," she said as she dipped her toes, clad in pink Crocs, into the water."
The 6' wide beach mats will increase enjoyment of the beach and make mobility to the water easier for people using wheelchairs, scooters or strollers. They lead from the the boardwalk across from the accessible parking spaces in the beach parking lot at the end of Simcoe St. S. with one continuing into the water and another extending perpendicular to the east. They are highly visible and portable, and after Labour Day weekend will be stored for use again next summer season. This fall the OAAC will review feedback received and what adjustments may need to be made to further improve accessibility at the city's waterfront. To share concerns/ideas/suggestions please email the City at [email protected]
In addition to inspecting the new accessible beach mats, the OAAC members continued along the waterfront trail to conduct scheduled accessibility audits of both Harbour Park and Lakeview Park that same afternoon. Check out the video showing Lisa checking out the accessibility of the playground equipment.
Lisa Hart, the 2019 OAAC Chair and a wonderful champion for a barrier-free Oshawa, when testing out the beach mats gave an uplifting response, captured by reporter Reka Szekely in the Oshawa This Week newspaper article: "“I got my feet wet, I’m just so darn happy to get my feet wet," she said as she dipped her toes, clad in pink Crocs, into the water."
The 6' wide beach mats will increase enjoyment of the beach and make mobility to the water easier for people using wheelchairs, scooters or strollers. They lead from the the boardwalk across from the accessible parking spaces in the beach parking lot at the end of Simcoe St. S. with one continuing into the water and another extending perpendicular to the east. They are highly visible and portable, and after Labour Day weekend will be stored for use again next summer season. This fall the OAAC will review feedback received and what adjustments may need to be made to further improve accessibility at the city's waterfront. To share concerns/ideas/suggestions please email the City at [email protected]
In addition to inspecting the new accessible beach mats, the OAAC members continued along the waterfront trail to conduct scheduled accessibility audits of both Harbour Park and Lakeview Park that same afternoon. Check out the video showing Lisa checking out the accessibility of the playground equipment.
