(Haipo) – Dor Beach in the Hof Carmel Regional Council has been made fully accessible down to the water's edge, as part of a national-social project to make beaches in Israel more accessible. The project was launched at a special event on September 24.9 in the presence of Deputy Head of the Council Osher Vaknin, and is led by Clal Insurance and Finance, the Israel Accessibility Association, and Agendat.
A project to make six beaches across the country accessible
Dor Beach is the third of six beaches to be made accessible in the first phase of the project, in collaboration with the local authorities of Netanya, Nahariya, Ashdod, Haifa, Carmel Beach and Acre. The upgraded beach now includes a designated and accessible path that reaches the water line, an accessible plaza near the sea that allows people with disabilities to stay near the water, and two special chairs that allow movement on the soft sand and accessible entry to the sea. The chairs are adapted for people who have difficulty walking and are specially imported from abroad by Golan Lex. The project focuses not only on the ability to reach the beach, but on the ability to reach right down to the water and be part of the sea experience, unlike previous solutions that were located in areas far from the coastline. The project is expected to expand to additional beaches across the country in the future.
An experiential launch event for families and people with disabilities
Families and people with disabilities from the Carmel Beach Regional Council community were invited to the launch event, who enjoyed an experiential and accessible activity at sea: sitting in a wheelchair facing the sea, entering the sea in a special wheelchair, backgammon tables and sandboxes on wheelchair-accessible tables, as well as lowered beach volleyball while sitting on the sand. The Carmel Beach Regional Council joined the project and is assisting in its production at the beach and in its promotion to families and residents with disabilities. Deputy Head of the Council Osher Vaknin said that "Dor Beach was accessible before, and this project allows us to take another significant step - to expand and improve accessibility and allow residents, visitors and their families to enjoy the beach and the sea in a more accessible, adapted and equitable manner."
Social commitment to equality on the beaches
The beaches are one of the most significant public resources in Israel – a space of freedom, leisure, health and belonging. For about half a million people with mobility disabilities, from children to the elderly, this experience is still not fully accessible. Despite Israel's long and diverse coastline, most beaches are not accessible at all, and others are only partially accessible. Gali Shevad, Deputy CEO and Manager of Marketing and Strategy at Clal Insurance and Finance, noted that "making the beaches accessible touches on something very everyday – the possibility for every person to enjoy the public space, be with family and friends and experience the sea in an equal manner." The chairman of the Accessibility Israel Association, Yuval Wagner, added that "there is no Israeli accessibility project as important as accessibility to the sea – because an accessible sea is Israeliness."
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The accessibility of beaches in Israel is a welcome development, but it should be noted that a person accompanying a person with a disability is usually unable to lead them into the water themselves using the special chair or out of the water. This requires a team of two healthy people.
In Cyprus, for example, every beach has a team of volunteers from the municipality, usually teenagers, who help disabled people get into the water with a special chair and out again. For them, this is part of the social commitment of teenagers as part of their studies.
Congratulations to you for thinking about making beaches accessible. It's really important. They also want to feel the sea. We need to remember them and take care of them.
Well done
They want the beach to be accessible to the religious public as well.
It cannot be that a religious adult
Will not be able to reach the sea
Yes, there will be more beaches... even in the Sea of Galilee, in the West Bank. It will also help and facilitate parents with strollers for little ones, and in general for the people of Israel.
So happy to hear that.
It's a shame they don't do this in every city. My husband is disabled, and here in Ashdod there is no access to the water's edge, and every time we want to go to the beach, he just has to look at us and not enjoy it with us.
What about parking? When we arrived, the parking lot was always full and we couldn't get to the beach.
Is there already a lifeguard at Dor Beach or is this an excessive request?
How does it feel if you removed benches from the shade designated for the disabled to organize?
Last night I was privileged to witness in practice, at Dor Beach, the happiness of a disabled child with Duchon disease, who was able to enter the water for the first time in his life. What happiness.
As a disabled person myself, in a wheelchair, I really enjoyed seeing how the project works. Kudos to those involved in this sacred work.
Happy holiday