Mobi-mat donation improves Bay Area beach access for those with mobility issues

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Ande Dierking loves going to the beach with her family, but it’s difficult for her to get to the water because she is confined to a wheelchair. 

"It makes it tricky when we want to go to the beach and we've got Ande with us," said Dierking's mom, Connie. "We can only make it so far because pushing a wheelchair in the sand is quite a workout, even with her dad, with us pushing the chair."

But, getting to the beach just got a lot easier for Dierking thanks to free Mobi-mats donated by the Forward Foundation.   

"They decided to remove that barrier of cost and basically write a blank check to any beach-facing city in our area that wants to install mobility mats," explained Ashley Richmond, manager of Help Us Gather. "We don't want funding to be an issue, stopping people from achieving equality and equity in our community." 

The mats are non-slip, wheelchair beach-access mats that create handicapped accessible paths.

"It goes beyond just wheelchair users," shared Jody Armstrong, director of Outreach Disability Achievement Center. "It's anyone that has difficulty in the sand. And by providing equal access, we allow so many more people to access our beaches and to enjoy our beaches. And not only do we have world-class beaches, but we can also, with Mobi-mats, advocate that we have the world's most accessible beaches, too."   

That's a goal the foundation hopes to achieve. 

"I appreciate those in the community who understand the mobility issues of our population and look into ways of making the things that many people take for granted access to people with mobility issues," added Dierking.  

The mats cost about $2,000 apiece. 

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Editor's note: An earlier version of this story reported the incorrect name of the Forward Foundation. This version has been corrected.