New wheelchair-friendly ramp in Grand Bend makes boating more accessible - CBC.ca

A new lift at a boat rental shop in Grand Bend, Ont., is now providing better access for people who use wheelchairs.

The team at River Adventures Grand Bend said the lack of accessibility in boating and water sports needed to change and so a couple of weeks ago, they installed a hydraulic wheelchair access lift.

The launch ramp will allow staff to assist people who use wheelchairs to get into kayaks, canoes and paddle boards more easily.

Mark Johnston, vice-president of River Adventures Grand Bend, said the ramp has been a long time coming.

"For us at River Adventures, it's been a passion for a number of years to try and do everything within our business to deal with accessibility issues," Johnston said.

Around 15 years ago, Johnston first became aware of the lack of accessibility for those with disabilities when he was working at Boler Mountain ski resort in London with kids in the SitSki program.

"I realized right away that a lot of them had a lot of issues with accessibility to pretty much everything they do on a daily basis," he said.

River Adventures has been up and running for almost three years now and Johnston said this has been a major goal for him.

"It was very important for myself and my partner to have this accessibility lift and for our whole business to be accessible to all."

Two weeks ago, the lift was installed and tested before it was up and running.

"It's inspiring to see it come to fruition, it's the drive behind all the accessibility we're trying to create," said Becky Clark, Johnston's business partner.

WATCH: A hydraulic wheelchair access lift will help making boating and boat-riding more accessible:

Lifeguards Connor Colquhoun and Emmett DeKoker-Strack demonstrate how the new launch ramp at River Adventures Grand Bend will work to provide accessibility. 1:01

"We offer charters up the river, we'll put them on with a commercial captain, we'll take them up the river or out on the lake. Or if they have friends and families with their own boats, we open it up and they pack their boat in and we assist loading the wheelchair onto the boat," Johnston said.

He hopes to continue making rental shop even more accessible.

Johnston said the ultimate goal is to provide a launch system that individuals can use to transfer themselves in and out of kayaks without requiring assistance, he said.

"To make that possible is a home run," Johnston said. "If we can set it up, that they can do it themselves, that's even better."

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New wheelchair-friendly ramp in Grand Bend makes boating more accessible - CBC.ca
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