First came the sand wheelchair.
Next was the Mobi-Mat.
Then Parks & Rec added picnic tables with cutouts for wheelchairs, and handicap-accessible barbecue grills.
On Tuesday (August 6, 12 noon, pavilion), Compo Beach adds another amenity: floating wheelchairs.
They’re donated by SMILE (Small Miracles In Life Exist) Mass. The organization has provided over 130 floating beach wheelchairs — but these are the first in Connecticut. Fairfield and Norwalk get them too.
A floating beach wheelchair.
The devices look like beach recliners. Yet in addition to maneuvering over sand — like the chair donated in 2012 by the Westport Rotary Club — these allow children in wheelchairs to float comfortably in the ocean.
They also allow therapeutic movement in water. Because salt water is more buoyant than fresh water, people who use beach wheelchairs in the ocean move more than in a pool.
On Tuesday, the saying “everyone into the water!” will really be true.