New Mat To Help Those With Disabilities Enjoy Greenwich Beach

GREENWICH, CT — The town has put a useful tool in place at the Greenwich Point beach to aid people with mobility issues: a 6-foot wide vinyl mat that extends over the sand and down to the waterline. The mat was officially unveiled by First Selectman Peter Tesei during a ribbon cutting ceremony last week.

The concept was developed by the First Selectman's Advisory Committee for People With Disabilities, who wanted to enable anyone with low mobility or no mobility to roll over the sand and get down to the water easily.

"The mat is a wonderful accessibility tool," committee chairman Alan Gunzburg said to Patch. "It allows for people who may have had hip surgery or knee surgery and may not be as steady on their feet, people who use a walker or a cane or people who use a wheelchair to have access from the Susan Baker Pavilion down to the high waterline mark, which they didn't have before."

Gunzburg is also the secretary for the Lions Club of Greenwich, which funded the mat's installation. The mat was created by AccessRec.

"The town is most appreciative of the Greenwich Lions Club donation allowing for the installation of the beach access mat," Tesei said in an emailed statement to Patch. "This demonstrates what the First Selectman's Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities focuses on – inclusion and accessibility for people of all abilities, whether it is someone reliant upon a wheelchair or a cane, or a mom pushing a stroller with her young children. This generous donation ensures that any visitor to Greenwich Point will have access to fully enjoy this jewel of the town's parks system.”

Gunzburg pointed out that in addition to helping those with mobility issues, the mat is also a useful tool for people pulling wagons or carts on the beach and for visitors who want respite from walking on the hot sand during particularly sunny summer days.

"It's a worthwhile project," Gunzburg said. "It helps people who are physically disabled be able to enjoy the water the same way as anybody else, and it has many other side benefits."

The project is also indicative of Greenwich's commitment to accessibility and adhering to the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). According to Gunzburg, the town owns the beach and thus must provide access to the waterline for everyone.

"Greenwich has made amazing strides [in accessibility] in the past eight years since our committee was put together," Gunzburg said. "Greenwich is committed, from the First Selectman on down, as a town that is diverse, inclusive and accessible. We're committed to being able to do that."

He also recommends anyone who finds an issue with any town property in regards to accessibility to contact the town's ADA Coordinator through the town website and make a complaint.

"If you find a sidewalk that doesn't work for you, or even something like a bathroom in a town building, the town is required to keep [Greenwich] as an accessible town," Gunzburg said. "The most important thing here is that the town is committed, and if there is an issue a citizen has with access, we can't know everything. Sometimes we have to be told what's wrong to be able to fix it."

The mat is already seeing positive feedback from residents and visitors who were unable to fully enjoy the water at the beach before its installation.

"It was well-used over the weekend," Gunzburg said. "I've been contacted by people I know in town who have kids with wheelchairs...and this is something they haven't been able to do in a while or at all, so I think it's a great thing."