Every year, millions of people visit public beaches, parks, and other outdoor public entertainment, relaxation, and recreational areas. However, if you use a mobility device such as a wheelchair, are temporarily disabled, elderly, or a family traveling with children and a stroller, accessing the accommodations in these public spaces may be difficult or impossible due to the terrain.
Fortunately, in 1990 congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which requires public areas to provide an accessible route.
While progress has been made over the years, many beaches, parks, and other public areas still do not provide accessible routes and those who do may not have firm and stable surfaces. This continues to isolate up to 25% of our population from enjoying community spaces, recreation, and social interaction. It is neither practical nor necessary to pour concrete pathways over all outdoor spaces. There is a better option for accessible routes: Accessible mats also known as access mats provide a firm and stable surface for all to use.
Accessible Mats for Accessible Routes
Great accessible mats will provide you with the ability to create custom pathways for permanent or temporary accessible routes.
Access Trax is an award-winning social impact company that specializes in creating these types of flexible solutions. Access Trax empowers people of all physical abilities to access the outdoors and recreation using innovative, modular portable pathways safely and easily which are available for sale and rent.
Access Trax’s Accessible Mat Features:
- Custom configurations: Each mat connects on all 4 sides
- Easily connect mats with durable hinges (no tools required).
- Lightweight and durable 36” x 36” portable mats that only weight 5.2lbs each
- Exceed the minimum ADA and ABA width requirement for a beach access route with double-wide configurations
- Custom sizes & colors available
Each mat was designed to meet the demands for wide pathways, turns, and platforms. When connected double-wide, the access route exceeds the minimum width requirement for a beach access route according to the Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Guidelines, Outdoor Developed Areas: portable pathways (5 feet wide).
Accessible Route Solution for Beaches and Other Public Places
“An accessible route is a pathway specifically designed to provide access for individuals with disabilities, including those using wheelchairs or mobility devices.”
Access Trax’s accessible mats were developed specifically to handle heavy traffic. The mats are both firm and stable which makes traveling with a wheelchair or other mobility devices smoother and easier to navigate. This allows persons with mobility devices, parents with baby strollers, and people with beach carts to easily get closer to the water or closer to beautiful views of iconic places like the Golden Gate Bridge. The accessible mats are made from a solid material that will not fray and become sharp over time. They are also tough enough for public vehicles, such as a lifeguard truck, to safely drive across them.
Great Solution for Temporary Accessible Routes for Events
With Access Trax, event planners can easily provide accessible routes for events held in outdoor spaces at hotels, resorts, or other private venue spaces.
Their accessible mats are easy to install, clean, transport, and store. You can leave them out for the whole season or use them for just a few hours.
“Access Trax offers customized event rental options.”
The firm and stable surface creates a welcoming and inclusive walkway for all event attendees, staff, and vendors with heavy equipment.
They are perfect for outdoor inclusive events because they are easy-to-use and modular.
The mats are user-friendly: simply arrange the lightweight mats over the terrain and connect them with the provided hinges. If the access route needs to be moved, the mats can be quickly rearranged. In one of the most unique features, mats forming a straight path can remain connected together during transport and storage due to the innovative accordion folding technology. This significantly cuts down set up and breakdown time and effort.
To attract more guests and ensure ultimate access and inclusion, be sure to install the mats in their double-wide configuration. This will create an accessible route and pathway that exceeds the ABA and ADA portable access route width requirement of at least 60 inches. This empowers guests with mobility devices and parents with strollers to pass each other and turn on the pathway with ease.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a portable access route for outdoor areas and events, Access Trax can help make your job easier. They have been trusted by over 30 adaptive sports nonprofits, the Golden Gate Recreational Area, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and customers across 11 countries. Access Trax is proud to offer an efficient solution for outdoor accessibility.
Access Trax proudly serves families, adaptive sports programs, accessibility coordinators, event planners, and more with our user-friendly and cost-effective solutions.
Want to rent or purchase accessible mats? Click here for a quote.