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A White Rock, B.C., councillor who uses a wheelchair has arranged for the community’s popular New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swim to be more accessible.
Susan Bains has arranged for a wheelchair-accessible mat that leads directly to the chilly waters at White Rock Beach on Jan. 1.
She is also working with a local disability advocacy group that is chipping in to provide beach wheelchairs for anyone who wants to attend the event.
The annual Polar Bear Swim attracts thousands of people to the White Rock Beach, in a tradition that was started in Vancouver and has since spread across B.C. and the world.
Bains said she’s had a lot of family and friends question why she would do something like this, given how cold the waters will be on Jan. 1.
“The reason is because I want to show others that this is a possibility, and this is actually something I’ve wanted to do even prior to being a wheelchair user,” she said in an interview.
Before she was elected to council in a byelection this year, Bains pushed for an accessibility mat along the iconic White Rock Pier.
People visiting White Rock Pier are now seeing a promenade that’s more accessible to all. CBC’s Pinki Wong was there to take a look.
For the upcoming Polar Bear Swim, the mat leading to the water is being provided by accessibility consultancy firm Motion, according to Bains.
The councillor says she hopes it leads to an increased turnout for the event.
“This is the whole motto of, ‘Nothing about us without us,'” the councillor said.
“Bring people to the table that have that lived experience,” she added. “And it’s better planning, because then they can speak to the areas that are being missed.”
Local disability advocacy organization Self-Advocates of Semiahmoo is providing beach wheelchairs for the event, and said in a statement that it had already donated a beach wheelchair to the City of Surrey for use at Crescent Beach.
The statement added that it had donated a beach wheelchair to a private citizen in White Rock to fill an access gap when no public option was available.
“In addition, two more beach wheelchairs are ready to be donated to a municipality or organization that is prepared to steward them through a community rental or lending program,” it continued.
Bains’s advocacy was recognized by the organizers of the Polar Bear Swim in a Facebook post.
Registration for the event is at 10:30 a.m. PT on Jan. 1, and the plunge itself is at noon. A warming tent will be available, along with hot chocolate.
