Testing Beach Wheelchairs

Blog Post by Tommy Blacklock

 When it comes to matters of accessibility and disability inclusion, it’s often the simple experience that an able-bodied person might take for granted that can be the most meaningful or poignant to those of us with disabilities.  

 On Monday the 3^rd of November I was invited in my capacity as a volunteer by St Andrews Environmental Network to test drive some sample electric wheelchairs that were under consideration to be added to the Beach Wheelchair service.  These chairs were generously supplied to us by Sunrise Medical, in order to let us see what the chairs were like and decide on any necessary adjustments and specifications before ordering one for ourselves. This is where I, as the team’s resident wheelchair user, came in.  

As someone who lives close to St Andrews, I’ve often felt and expressed a desire to experience the local beaches. When I was a child, I would love going to the beach on family holidays, and those experiences of the seaside form several pleasant memories from my childhood.  

However, as I’ve gotten older, my Cerebral Palsy has made it in increasingly difficult to experience the beach in the same way I would have as a child. This is an unfortunate, but in many cases unavoidable reality of growing up for those of us with physical differences as we get older and our mobility requirements change over time, which often means relying on others for assistance. 

While the existing manual wheelchairs that are in use by the Beach Wheelchair service are wonderful mobility aids in their own right and have allowed many people to experience the beach who would not otherwise have had the opportunity, when they require another person to assist and push for the person using the chair, there is a limit to how much independence they can have when experiencing the beach.  

All that having been said, what immediately struck me when testing the electric wheelchairs was the sense of freedom it gave. While I required minimal assistance from my colleagues with transferring, once I was firmly in the chair, the beach opened up for me.  

Simply being able to speed down the beach and feel the wind in my hair, experiencing the natural atmosphere of the beach was a thrilling experience, and it allowed me to enjoy the beach at my own pace without having to rely on anyone else’s help to get where I wanted to go. This created a tremendous sense of freedom, and a feeling that the beach was open to me in a way that would not have previously been possible.  

This, in my view, underscores why mobility aids and efforts toward accessibility are so important, and in fact play a vital role in cultivating and enriching our relationship with nature, by making experiences of nature that should be universal accessible to more people. 

Moreover, the specific chair I tested, which was called the XT4, also had a variety of features, such as a reclining seat, which allowed me to enjoy the beach with a sense of safety, comfort and security, whether speeding across the flat, firm sand or bumping and jostling over the uneven sand, it was all equally enjoyable.  

I firmly believe that the acquisition of this new powered wheelchair will open up the chance to experience St Andrews’ beautiful beaches to more people with disabilities, whilst allowing them a greater sense of freedom and autonomy over their experience. The ability to partake in our shared natural world is something that should be open to everyone regardless of ability, and the Beach Wheelchairs are one step towards making that a reality in the local area.