Day at the Beach Provides Ray of Hope for Disabled Children

California Children Services physical therapist Jennifer Jablonski, left, Vaughn Ziegler, and Vaughn’s dad Christian try out one of the specialized wheelchairs.Does anything say summer more than a day on the beach?

Living in San Diego with its miles of beautiful coastline makes going to the beach an easy choice for a fun and healthy activity for a hot summer day. Unfortunately for some of our residents, this may not be as easy as it seems.

For disabled children and their families obstacles such as moving across the sand makes a trip to the beach seem impossible. This is where “A Day at the Beach”, put on by the Vista Medical Therapy Unit and California Children Services, comes in.

The therapy unit invited their clients and  families to the beach to explore the resources available to allow them to enjoy the sand and sun. At Oceanside Beach they were shown the cabanas which have paved access for wheelchairs.

The most difficult obstacle for these families is getting their child to the water. Luckily, Oceanside Beach has several wheelchairs which are specially designed for bringing the disabled to the shore line. The families where instructed how to use these chairs which are free to anyone with needs at the main life guard station under the pier.

After “A Day at the Beach”, these families now have one more way to spend a fun and healthy day in San Diego County.