Greece To Provide New Program For People With Disabilities

More than 200 of Greece's beach-fronts will soon include wheelchair accessibility upgrades like remote-controlled ramps and updated facilities.

Greece is aiming to make hundreds of its stunning beaches reachable by people with disabilities by constructing ramps that can be controlled remotely, upgrading restrooms, and other measures.

According to the Greek Reporter, 287 beaches around the country will participate in the ramp installation initiative set up by Greek business Seatrac. So far, the upgrades have been implemented at over 140 locations.

“Equal access to the sea is an inalienable human right. People with disabilities and people with limited mobility are given the opportunity to participate in beach activities with family and friends, enhancing the quality of life for everyone… [They] can engage in activities such as swimming that contribute to their physical and mental health,” Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias commented.

According to the manufacturer, the Seatrac device may be operated remotely and features a chair that can be lowered into the water along a retractable track. Users can get off the chair and into the water at the conclusion of the track, which is equipped with a guardrail.

This initiative, which has its own website, is meant to support Greece as an accessible seaside holiday destination. Holidaymakers can use a live map to see which shorelines are currently open to the public.

Accessible parking lots, restroom trailers, changing facilities, and other amenities are being built "in order to create integrated tourist accessible sea destinations," the project's website states.

Greece isn't the only country trying to increase access to tourism for people with disabilities. Across the United States, art galleries are putting in wheelchair-accessible carousels, providing noise-cancelling headgear for visitors who are sensitive to loud noises, and holding sensory-friendly schedules. There are a number of national parks that are accessible as well, but Badlands National Park in South Dakota stands out as the most so because it has three paths specifically designed for wheelchairs and more than 92% of its eateries are accessible to those using such devices. Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona both feature over a dozen accessible pathways for those using wheelchairs.

 

Source: travelandleisure.com