Beach access for EVERYone!
The great outdoors is quite the playground for all people. There are many benefits to being outside and something as simple as porch sitting can even boost our mood, our mental health, our immune…basically our overall wellbeing. I could go on about all the benefits, but let’s start with HOW do we get outside to enjoy what God’s creation has to offer to our well-being.
This summer I witnessed a family ranging from 4-months to 91-years-old enjoy the beach. Their variety of abilities (from an infant who was not yet mobile to a very active toddler to adults who use adaptive equipment or alternatives for getting around) brought challenges to accessing the beach. That diverse family…was my family! Now how does a 91-year-old who uses a cane, a middle age brother-n-law who uses a rollator, and the rest of the family get onto the beach all at once to experience the sand, sun, and water?
My friends, may I introduce you to Access Trax!
The Unexpected Evolution
I had a chance to chat with the starters (who are occupational therapists) of this company. I firmly believe in their product and fully support their business, but not because they are occupational therapists or a small business, but because of the story behind the idea of Access Trax. I LOVE stories like theirs; how the idea behind creating Access Trax was to help a surfer in a wheelchair get to the water and do what he loved…ride the waves. Their one idea was to increase access to the beach, but evolved into a universal product to help EVERYone access the great outdoors. These mats provides a way to access many outdoor events besides beaches. This is great for graduations, concerts, camping, overlook for the views, or simply making any trip from point A to point B by wheels. Think how Access Trax makes life easier in general when using wagons, strollers, rollators, canes, crutches and more. This is a universal product!
The Materials
What I love even more about Access Trax is that it’s durable (made out of UV stable, recyclable hard plastic), foldable, and easy to transport. In fact, we had the mats shipped to our vacation rental and it came with heavy grade Velcro to snap all the mats together. The durability was tested when we left the mats on the beach (we had a private beach) over a period of 2-3 days they maintained their shape and were easy to fold up and pack back on our flight back home. Fair warning, the mats do get hot under the sun when walking with bare feet.
Tips:
1) When flying, have the mats shipped to your destination or you can check them with your bags. If you own a rental, perhaps offer the mats as one of your amenities.
2) Purchase the carrying strap to make it easy for transporting (we didn’t order this and wish we had, we just used the box it was shipped in to check in on our flight and picked up at oversized luggage area – just don’t forget to pick up there on your way out).
3) If you only have the minimum order (which is 5 mats) and just need a little more to get to the water or whatever you’re trying to access, get off, pull the mats up closer to the water, then get back on and get into the water.
4) When using on the beach (or any terrain), level the area to allow the mats to lay flat.
How to get the mats?
It’s easy! Because they are a small business, you get to speak to the founders directly. They also rent out mats if you just wanted them for one occasion or wanted to trial them. Use this LINK to request a quote or simply tell them Tiffany at Blue Day 2 referred you. Use this LINK to get a discount on the accessories such as this carrying strap.
Be sure to subscribe and check us out on YouTube to see Access Trax in use. You’ll also find more reviews of the mats and other products and designs.
Disclaimer: Links in this blog contain affiliates therefore we may receive a small commission when you purchase a product. This does not add any cost to you. Thank you for supporting my mission and allowing me to share valuable resources to help make life a little (or a lot) easier for ALL.
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