These Wheelchairs Are Helping Disabled Travelers Enjoy the Beach

Travel|These Wheels Can Handle Sand and Surf. Grab the Sunscreen.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/07/travel/beach-wheelchairs-disabled-travel.html

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These Wheels Can Handle Sand and Surf. Grab the Sunscreen.

Wheelchairs with balloon-like tires are available at a growing number of U.S. beaches, giving disabled people and their families more options for fun in the sun.

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A beach wheelchair in Miami. The chairs typically have oversize, chunky tires that allow them to roll over sand and uneven terrain, and some models even float.Credit…Janel Kilnisan for The New York Times

By Karen Angel

June 7, 2023

For Linda Green James, getting onto the beach is usually top of mind when she’s planning a summer getaway with her daughter Suzi Osborne, 47, who uses a wheelchair because of a traumatic brain injury.

But when the two stay at a friend’s condo in Pompano Beach, Fla., they usually resign themselves to hanging out around the pool.

During their visit in January, Ms. James was thrilled to spy a beach wheelchair, a device with chunky, oversize tires that can roll over sand and uneven [...]