The use of amphibious chairs, which allow people with disabilities or reduced mobility to bathe in the sea, is spreading along the Brazilian coast, even with the pandemic having stopped expansion. What was rare to be seen became more frequent on the beaches, providing more access to the sea, a historical demand of the social group.
The programs involve the participation of public administrations, in some cases, allied to educational institutes and entities. The service, currently present in at least 15 states, takes place in two ways: one, less comprehensive and betting on user autonomy —similar to the model most adopted in the US—, is the delivery of the chair to the user who stays with it at certain times. ; another is the so-called assisted bath, in which the person is assisted by lifeguards or monitors.
Amphibious chairs have special wheels that move on the sand and float in the sea. They must be used with the presence of a companion, who guides the vehicle in the water, for example
Maceió (AL) has the Accessible Beach program, implemented as a public policy since 2015 by the Municipal Department of Tourism, Sport and Leisure. Once a month, a group of monitors perform an assisted bathing action on Pajuçara beach.
The program also allows the interested person to request a chair through the number (82) 99102-4596 to be able to use it for up to seven days, in the way that is most convenient for him.
“The proposal was to assist and give more autonomy to people with disabilities or reduced mobility, so that they could enjoy the natural beauties of Maceió, as well as practice sports activities with specialized teams”, says João de Barros, project coordinator.
Tabata Contri, 41, an inclusion consultant for professionals with disabilities, chose to request the chair during her vacation in Maceió. “I thought it was really cool. I was on vacation with my family, I wanted to go to the beach every day, visit different beaches, and at the time I wanted to go, not a certain one. I had that freedom.”
Paraná also has a more autonomous model in Ilha do Mel. The Instituto Água e Terra, in partnership with the State Secretariat for Sustainable Development and Tourism, provided a WhatsApp number for the reservation of an adapted chair. There are two on Encantadas beach and two in Nova Brasília. The interested person makes the reservation and is entitled to spend the day with the chair. Reservations can be made by calling (41) 99554-0313.
“It’s a feeling of freedom to be able to float in the sea. It was a wonderful day and it recharged my batteries”, said civil engineer Cândido Kowalski Junior. He competed in aquatic marathons, but a neurological disease conditioned him to a wheelchair, just over a year ago.
Santa Catarina has an accessible beach policy that covers the state’s approximately 360 km of coastline, with 150 amphibious chairs spread across 23 cities.
The program takes place daily during the summer season, but the state government has made available the CBMSC Cidadão application, with the addresses of the lifeguard stations that provide the chairs and the agitation of the sea on the day, since, depending on the conditions, the chair is taken to another beach in the region. The program is accompanied by lifeguards.
The service was also extended to the interior of Santa Catarina. This year, it began operating on a lake in the city of Itá, about 500 km from Florianópolis.
For Marco Pellegrini, former national secretary for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and a specialist in diversity and inclusion, “public policies that fulfill the constitutional duty of inclusive and dignified safe-conduct to public facilities and the social environment have great transforming power, only coexistence in everyday life is capable of eliminating ableism and intolerance”.
In Ceará, the state government maintains the Accessible Beach program in partnership with the municipalities of Fortaleza, Caucaia, Aracati and Aquiraz. The service is also assisted by monitors. State management says that about 8,000 people have already been served by the program since its inception in 2016.
The idea is to expand the initiative to the beaches of Trairi and Camocim in March. During the year, another four locations will have the program.
One of the first projects aimed at inclusion on beaches was Praia Para Todos, by Instituto Novo Ser –a non-profit organization— in partnership with the Rio de Janeiro Tourism Department, in 2008. The program consisted of providing amphibious chairs in Copacabana , Barra da Tijuca, Leblon, Ipanema and Piscinão de Ramos.
According to the institute, from 2008 to 2020, the project reached an audience of 35,944 people, directly and indirectly. Of the regulars, the majority (36.4%) had not been to the beach for more than a year, with about 10% diving in the sea for the first time. The show was suspended last year because of the pandemic, but was scheduled to return this month..
Teacher Bianca dos Santos Saint Martin, 43, took her son Matheus, 21, to the project before the pandemic. The possibility of seeing the young man again in a sea bath stirred the whole family.
“It was wonderful, both for him and for the whole family. He walked until he was 14 years old, but he had a tumor on his spine, leaving him in a wheelchair. Since then, we had not been able to go to the beach. , we went”, said Bianca.
In Bahia, the capital Salvador also has the Para Praia program, but it was suspended because of the pandemic.
The health crisis also got in the way of plans on some beaches. In São Paulo, the service ended up being limited. In Guarujá, there are two chairs on Pitangueiras beach, and it only works from Thursday to Sunday, from 10 am to 2 pm, with the accompaniment of monitors.
Johnny, the program’s coordinator, says he tries to inform people on the beach about the chairs. “I walk along the beach to see if there is anyone in a wheelchair and I offer the service.”
In Praia Grande, the service also works on weekends in high season. Chairs are available in four locations: Vila Mirim, Balneário Florida, Canto do Forte and Jardim Guilhermina. The user, along with a companion, must take a document and remove the chair. The length of stay depends on demand.
Santos has seats on Channels 3 and 6, on weekends, from 9 am to 3 pm, also accompanied by lifeguards. It works all year round, but the limitation does not please users.
“Unfortunately, the hours are very bad. Now in the summer, it starts to get nice when the sun starts to go down, after 3 pm. It had to be available until at least 6 pm”, says press officer Laís Ferrão, 41, who He has attended the project since 2010.
For Tabata Contri, tourism in Brazil still leaves much to be desired in terms of accessibility.
“Tourism in Brazil, for people with disabilities, has to improve a lot. To be able to travel, you have to set up a war scheme. You have to call, search, and you still run the risk of not finding accessibility.”
