Dubai's floating wheelchairs for elderly, disabled

Dubai Municipality on Tuesday launched a community initiative for the elderly and the disabled, providing 15 swimming wheelchairs in Al Mamzar and Jumeirah beaches to help the public with special needs to enjoy life with other community members.

“The move comes as part of civic body’s keenness to achieve the strategic goal of Dubai Government to be one of the most friendly cities in the world for people with special needs by 2020 through the initiative ‘My Community … A City for Everyone’ launched by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council,” said Hussain Nasser Lootah, after launching the initiative at Mamzar beach.

“Dubai is the first Arab city that provides this facility for the people with special needs. We selected these chairs after a market study about the product and the best practices in the world. The chairs that cost around Dh9,000 each are imported from France,” Lootah said.

“We hope these chairs will make our brothers and sisters with special needs and elderly people more comfortable to swim in the designated areas of the beach. They can use chairs without the help of others and the service is free,” he said.

“We have also formed a team of lifeguards and trainers at Mamzar and Jumeirah beaches to ensure safety and help people with special needs to learn how to use these chairs in the first stage,” he further said.

“Dubai Municipality will provide more chairs in future if the experience is successful,” he added.
 

 

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