Beaches for all in the City of Rockingham

from Access Insight - January 2019/December 2020

Sailability Tin Can Bay

by Michele Gray

Michele Gray has been a Community Development Officer at the City of Rockingham since 2016. She is responsible for leading the implementation the City’s Disability Access and Inclusion Plan and Strategy.

Australia, the ‘island continent’ that is ‘girt by sea’. We sure do love the coast, and with 85% of us living within 50km of the coastline, the beach occupies a special place in Australian culture and identity. Whether it’s enjoying the surf, building a sandcastle, sharing a chat with a dear friend during a walk along the sand; you name it – we do it on the beach. From an access perspective, beach environments present some considerable challenges, and these impact every single person in the community, just in different ways and to different degrees. Let’s face it – not many people find it easy to walk over a hot, steep and soft sand dune, particularly while carrying a squirming toddler and a boogie board.

However for many people, a trip to the beach can feel like a monumental challenge. They may even feel that it’s not possible, and something they just have to live without. The reasons for this are diverse, but predominately relate to changes in mobility, strength and/or balance caused by disability, ageing, injury or ill-health. Importantly, barriers that prevent people from accessing the beach are also also created and reinforced by attitudes and perceptions about people with disability that exist in the community.

The goal of improving access to the beach is something that the City of Rockingham has been working on for some time, and the commitment to making beaches more accessible for our community is well established. These ongoing efforts are driven and informed by the City’s Disability Access and Inclusion Plan and Strategy, and sit within a broader context of seeking to achieve a vision of Rockingham as an inclusive community that enables people with disability to fulfil their potential as equal citizens.

By progressively implementing different approaches and introducing new equipment, the City has learned more about what works and what people need. A few key inter-related themes have emerged over time:

• Access is for everyone. Firstly, access (in any environment, not just at the beach) is about the whole community, not just something that relates to people with disability. Access is a need which is shared by everyone, there is just a lot of diversity in regards to how it’s achieved and the specific needs of people with disability. • Diversity. People with disability, just like the rest of the community, are diverse and need different things. When designing initiatives to

address access, we need to be mindful of this and avoid the trap of considering only one type of need. • Choice. We can acknowledge and respond to the diversity in our community by providing people with options and choice. For example, no single model of beach wheelchair is suitable to meet the requirements of all wheelchair users. People differ greatly in regards to their age and size, core strength and specific support needs. The more options we can offer, the better chance there is that an individual will find something that works for them. • Location, location, location. When seeking to enhance access in any situation, it needs to be location specific so that the unique context can be considered. It’s so important to look at a location and identify the specific features that promote access, as well as the features that limit access, and then design your approach accordingly. This offers greater success as you are not limited by a pre-determined solution or approach. By designing location specific approaches, you ensure that your investment is well suited to the conditions at that location and will achieve the desired outcome for the community.

HOW ARE WE MAKING BEACHES ACCESSIBLE IN THE CITY OF ROCKINGHAM?

The City of Rockingham is a rapidly growing community of almost 140,000 people, located at the southern edge of the Perth Metropolitan area, about 40 kilometres from the Perth CBD. Residents, and the lucky tourists who visit the area, are blessed with 37 km of coastline to play with, including Perth’s only northern facing beach (which is a big advantage from an access perspective). Beach goers in the area are spoilt for choice, with calm shallow waters of Palm Beach, surf beaches such as Secret Harbour and the seemingly endless and pristine sand of Warnbro Sound.

BEACH ACCESS MATTING

Beach access matting makes it easier for people to get from the main footpath onto the sand and closer to the water. It’s particularly beneficial for people using mobility aids such as walkers and wheelchairs, and is also a big bonus for families with young children in prams. For the spring and summer of 2019/2020 the City has 140m of Mobi-Mat® beach matting installed across six different locations. For the first time this season, additional short wing sections of matting have also been installed in some locations. These allow a wheelchair user to move off the main path and ‘park up’ without blocking access to the mat for other users.

In addition to providing ongoing regular ‘beach goer’ access throughout spring and summer, the matting also vastly improves the experience for people at community events that take place on the sand. A great local example of this is the Castaways Sculpture Awards which is held annually at the Rockingham Foreshore. For the exhibition held in October 2019, 80m of matting was used, and the curator was able to plan the placement of sculptures in such a way to maximise access for viewing and interaction.

The matting is predominately used on the northern facing beaches of Rockingham, which are well protected and have a minimal dune system, making it naturally conducive to easier access onto the sand. When selecting locations for the installation of matting, the following factors were also considered important:

• distance to and availability of nearby car parking, including ACROD bays

• connecting pedestrian routes, avoiding where possible any steep gradients or excessive distances • availability of toilet facilities close by • any other infrastructure available nearby, such as showers, picnic tables, BBQ and cafes or shops

The use of matting on our more exposed western facing beaches has proven problematic, as sand movement and exposure to rough conditions can lead to the matting either being ineffective, a safety risk, or lost at sea. Staff continue to seek out alternative strategies that will be more effective at enhancing access at these beaches.

BEACH WHEELCHAIRS

In Rockingham there are five beach wheelchairs available for people to hire free of charge, with three different models available to choose from. Partnerships with three local community organisations are central to making this work. Making the most of their proximity to the beach, our ‘chair hosts’ store the chairs and manage customer enquiries and bookings on behalf of the City. This is a huge bonus for the community as it helps ensure the chairs are available and accessible seven days a week. Big shout out to the Rockingham Visitors Centre, the Cruising Yacht Club and the Seaside Camp for Kids for their ongoing support for this initiative.

BEACH WALKERS

The purchase of two beach walkers in 2019 is a recent development that the City anticipates will make a big difference for many in our community who would normally avoid situations where they have to walk on sand. They are constructed like a regular walker and are height adjustable with handles, brakes, four wheels, a seat and a basket under the seat. The only difference is that a beach walker has a larger frame and has soft balloon wheels, making it much more stable. Since being introduced in October 2019, they have

been well used and feedback from the community indicates that many people are attracted to the independence they can enjoy using the walker. People can book the walkers through the City directly and collect from two different pick up points. Using their own vehicle, the hirer can transport the walker to the beach of their choice (within City boundaries).

THE KEYS TO MAKING IT WORK

Some of the keys we see in making sustained progress in this space are outlined below. These valuable lessons are now front of mind when the City is planning future work in this space.

• Harness the power of stories to ensure that people, both within your organisation and in the community, really get the ‘why’. Nothing is more powerful than local stories told by real people about the impact it’s made in their life. If you’re starting out and don’t have any local stories yet, websites such as Accessible Beaches Australia https://accessiblebeaches. com are powerful tools in communicating the outcomes of beach access and giving it a human face and voice. • Monitoring and maintenance are critical, in relation to the equipment you are using, but possibly even more importantly in relation to the partnerships you’ve established to make the system work. Beaches are dynamic and so are partnerships. Making time to touch base

regularly to seek feedback and input from your partners will build resilience and sustainability for your system. • Promotion and marketing efforts need to be ongoing and employ multiple approaches. Having the equipment is not enough, you have to talk about it and make sure people hear about it, multiple times.

It’s important to accept that there is no perfect solution out there that will make beaches accessible for everyone, particularly if you are addressing it at the level of the community and you are seeking to respond to a diverse range of needs. The wins are found by making a sustained effort to seek out and implement improvements that are tailored to specific locations, while nurturing partnerships that will make your initiatives sustainable.

RBA’s new range of Designer Grab Rails is now available in Matte Black, White and Bright polished finishes.