Red carpet for differently abled at beach

For 12-year-old Kamala, the sand and the distant blue sea that layed ahead was always unknown. Being differently-abled from birth, sand and soft surfaces were to be avoided, as her wheelchair was bound to get stuck. Now, December 3 will be a day Kamala will remember forever, as she was one of the 50 differently-abled people who were taken out on to the beach by a team of volunteers from Vidya Sagar to experience the wonders of nature, first hand. They were led down the temporary coir roll pathway covered with a red carpet by volunteers, who had accompanied them for the celebrations that they had asked for. 

While some screamed in delight, others couldn’t hold back their tears, when the salty waves touched their feet and receded. The volunteers were equally thrilled and encouraged them to continue their game with the waves. The organisation thanked the Corporation of Chennai for the facility that lit up many faces with extreme joy. A source from Vidya Sagar said, “The right to leisure and right to access to public spaces is priceless to children and adults with disabilities and their families.” The Corporation is also planning to provide permanent accessibility to the beach for differently-abled in the future, without violating the CRZ rules. As a long-term plan, they plan to put up an elevated wooden platform, around 2 feet above the sand, for the wheelchairs.