The MobiChair and Beach Mats were introduced to the public on Wed., June 25 at the Morrisburg Beach. They were acquired through a partnership between Dundas Community Living and the Morrisburg Waterfront Committee. From left: Kyle Gallinger, Nancy Cassell, Dundas County Community Living, Michael Burton, Waterfront Committee, Councillor Cole Veinotte, Cindy Saucier, Waterfront Committee, South Dundas Mayor Jason Broad. Tinkess Photo

MORRISBURG – Being able to enjoy the beach on a warm summer day is something that most of us would take for granted, but thanks to a collaboration between the Morrisburg Waterfront Committee and Dundas County Community Living, the pleasure can be enjoyed by even more people.

On Wed., June 25, Beach Mats and a MobiChair were introduced to the community at a media event held at the Morrisburg beach. Beach Mats are portable, rollout beach access mats for pedestrians, wheel chair users, and strollers which can be laid on top of the sand to provide a firm, cool, and stable surface that can allow a range of different users, including those with special needs the ability to easily and safely make their way into the water without the difficulty that shifting and uneven sand would present.

The MobiChair takes accessibility even farther. A high-quality floating beach wheelchair, the MobiChair floats thanks to its rubber pneumatic tires and armrests. It is by design collapsable, making it easy to move from one location to another.

The dream of making the beach more accessible has been a long time coming. The driving force behind the initiative, Michael Burton described how it came to be.

“I started applying for grant for this when COVID hit,” said Burton, “But I didn’t stop, because I never stop when I want something, so I went to 100 Women, 100 Men Who care. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive my funds, but other people received the funds for their projects, which is always good; a win, win situation. But when you get your voice out there, everybody hears. So, the Waterfront Committee jumped in, as did Community Living. The day I was at 100 Men, you literally knocked me over to say, “I’ll help.”

“So, it’s for the community,” added Burton. “It’s been purchased by the community, and it’s a good thing everyone can use it. When I work in this community for things, it’s totally encompassing and for everybody in the community. So, it’s for seniors, it’s wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, canes, baby carriages, everybody who has a purpose to get the water can actually do it on occasion.”

For Nancy Cassell of Dundas County Community Living, contributing to a project like this just seemed like the natural thing to do. “We have individuals that have mobility issues, for sure,” said Cassell.  “We have individuals just their gait isn’t like, isn’t solid on the ground. We have a gentleman I’m thinking of right now that would love this, I’m sure, and we have people that now can access the beach.

“Giving back to the community, also, is important because everyone gives to us, we wanted to give back.”

The ease in using the MobiChair was demonstrated by Mayor Jason Broad, with Michael Burton volunteering to be the passenger. The chair was very easy to roll, and once it entered the water, its buoyancy was obvious.

An added benefit, according to Recreation Director David Jansen, is being realized from the number of people using the Beach Mat. “I think I’ve already spoke to the mat, it’s been out for a week, and I think we’re already seeing 100% of the traffic that comes out of the water taking the mat, whether they need it or not,” said Jansen. “I think that’s the other thing. We see less dirt in the bathroom, so there’s positives all over the place to it, and it’s been fantastic. It was easy to install, and we’re hoping easy to maintain.”

The Mobi-Chair is available through the South Dundas Lending Library. For information on borrowing the chair, visit: https://www.southdundas.com/communityprograms.