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Amphibious wheelchair arrives at Surfside
Published November 5, 2009
SURFSIDE BEACH — More than one year after a family raised concerns about pedestrian beach accessibility, those with special needs now have a way to enjoy the waves.
The Texas General Land Office delivered an amphibious wheelchair to the village, which plans to lend out the vehicle to people with handicaps at no charge.
The arrival of the specially made wheelchair is a good thing for the village, said Beverly Bisso, who last year fought for permission for her disabled son to drive a golf cart onto the sand.
“I think this is wonderful,” she said. “It’ll give the people with special needs the ability to enjoy the water just like everyone else can, in a safe way.”
Surfside Beach received the Mobi-Chair, which is fitted with large wheels to move through sand easily and floatable armrests for balance while in the water, after seeking financial support from state regulators more than six months ago, Mayor Larry Davison said.
Bisso and her son, Kyle Bridwell, had asked for a permit to use a golf cart on the beach in summer 2008. Bridwell has a prosthetic leg after a workplace accident that can be damaged on the sand.
The village in 2008 briefly permitted him to use the golf cart on the beach before revoking it, citing an ordinance barring vehicular traffic on that stretch of sand. Elected officials then permitted golf carts on some areas of the sand.
The debate in Surfside Beach over Bridwell’s access led to the passage of House Bill 1213, which authorized the use of golf carts on the beach by people with disabilities.
Davison said the wheelchair should make the beach more accessible to people with handicaps.
“Right now, they pretty much have to sit on the bank and just kind of look at it,” he said. “It looks like it would be pretty fun and provide a new experience that they might have been missing out on.”
The land office gave the $2,000 wheelchair to Surfside Beach as part of Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson’s initiative to make Texas’ beaches accessible to everyone. In September, the land office donated four surf-ready chairs to South Padre island.
“The Americans with Disabilities Act doesn’t apply to the coast, but Commissioner Patterson thinks it’s important that we at the state do whatever we can to improve beach access for everyone,” land office spokesman Jim Suydam said. “And that’s what these Mobi-Chairs do. They’re amazing.”
Surfside Beach Village Council has not yet determined how the wheelchair will be loaned out, but Davison expected all those interested in using the chair will need is a credit card as a deposit.
Area beach house rental companies also will be informed about the chair to offer renters with disabilities, Davison said.
“When it’s needed, its value is pretty high because it allows a person to do something they would not otherwise be able to do,” Davison said.
Bisso said her son would like to use the wheelchair, and it might add to the village’s appeal,
“I think it’s a great complement to the city to have that,” she said.
Nathaniel Lukefahr covers Surfside Beach for The Facts. Contact him at 979-237-0151.
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