What equipment can help you access this beautiful Summer

Well, it’s that time of year again. The time when we all are both excited for the fresh fun summer days and preparing for the sticky Australian heat. If you’re anything like me I have been waiting for this time for weeks now. Excited for days exploring new experiences outside and long nights catching up with mates on summer nights with live music in the background. As most of you can relate to, for me, these dreams are always altered by my access needs, as I’m an nonverbal wheelchair user. So I’m going to give you some ideas about how we can all make this summer an enjoyable one.

Admittedly, my first two I haven’t done in many years but still think they are absolutely amazing. These are surfing and sailing. Unlike what you might expect these two summer activities have become extremely popular in multiple locations and through many events across the country. As a teenager I spend some really good times going sailing in places like Penrith and Manly.

The best part of these moments at sailing is seeing other people with disabilities who have done sailing regularly being able to sail independently. Another great aspect of sailability which I absolutely love, is the hoists that can lift participants who use wheelchairs down into the boats, allowing literally anyone to get in a sailing boat. I feel that these two aspects of this activity make this activity amazing and demonstrates a lot of positive messages about disability and inclusion.

Incredibly, surfing is just as amazing and accessible as sailing. Personally, I have been lucky enough to experience surfing multiple times in Byron Bay mainly with my friends company Ability Surf. As I am able to sit on my knees I could easily sit in the front of the surfboard  with someone else behind me paddling. To be honest, these experiences are special to me as I have had a really big fear of waves since I was little and I have really surprised myself and been really proud of myself that I have was able to have these experiences.

As well as my personal experiences, I have also heard of absolutely incredible stories from some of my friends with severe disabilities regularly going surfing and absolutely thriving. These particular stories are mainly from their days at an organisation called Surfability, which are located on beaches across Australia. Another aspect of these Surfability events I have heard about is the amazing culture and community around them. It is because of these things that I am very keen to trial going these days this Summer and hope to see you there.

Now, our last summer activity is actually a real passion of mine and that is swimming. As I am quite severe, swimming is really the only way that I am able to exercise and loose weight. As well as this, I find that by allowing me to be out of my chair swimming allows me to meet everyone at eye level and feel completely free.

After a lot of trials and errors as a child, when I hit my teenage years I decided that a water skiing vest was the best thing to assist me in swimming, as I am totally independent in the water. The other thing about swimming that I absolutely love is that it is completely accessible to everyone in multiple ways, using multiple equipment. A big part of this accessibility is the multiple ways for wheelchair users to get in and out of the pool. These ways are usually displayed in either a hoist or a ramp leading in the pool. Ether of which can be seen in most public pools, which says so much about accessibility in our society and expands how many people with differing abilities can access this activities.

So, these are just a start of the many accessible activities that you can get involved with this Summer. I encourage you to explore what you can get up to and involve with this summer, and make it one to remember.