KNYSNA NEWS - In an effort to make Knysna's beaches more accessible to the physically disabled, former Knysna councillor Martin Young has built a prototype for a special wheelchair that allows the user to not only get onto the beach, but into the water.

"Knysna is a great holiday destination, but the town's beaches are not really accessible to wheelchair-bound visitors," Young said.

He said he was contacted by local Shaun Butler in January this year in an attempt to address the issue. Butler became a paraplegic five years ago after a motorcycle accident.

He had not been able to enjoy the area's beautiful beaches since the accident, but this recently changed, when Young had him test out what he believes could be the answer to the problems of others in Butler's position.

Normal wheelchair unsuitable
"A normal wheelchair isn't an option as the sand gets into the bearings and the metal rusts. I did some research and found that a beach-going wheelchair is about R50 000. I was convinced that there must be a cheaper way and decided to build one myself."

Using mostly PVC pipes, Young created a wheelchair which made Butler's first time back on the beach in five years possible.

Accompanied by Young and his brother Dylon, Butler made his way across the beach at Buffels Bay recently and even had a splash in the water.

"It was quite an experience being in the water after so long. You don't really realise how much you miss something until it is gone, so I really enjoyed it," Butler said.

He said he is looking forward to more visits to the beach in the near future.

Some tweaks needed
"The wheelchair worked quite well and was stable in the water."

"I have now left the chair with Shaun to test out some more, so that he can provide some input with regards to tweaks we need to make," Young said.

The project cost Young a fraction of the price of a beach wheelchair, he said. "It cost about R3 000 to produce. The wheels are not ideal and would probably cost another R3 000 for the perfect ones."

He said the goal is to produce a cost-effective option for the physically disabled to access the beach.

"If there is a disabled person in a family, their holiday decisions are usually made based on that member. If the beaches are not wheelchair-accessible they would probably give the area a skip. If Knysna makes it possible for the disabled to have a good time on its beaches, holidaymakers would definitely visit."

He said his hope is, once the design is fine-tuned, that a few could be produced for Knysna's beaches.

"We could possibly get a fibreglass mold to make. There is a big fibreglass industry, especially in the boat-building sector. I hope we can make this happen."

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