The accessible beaches of the Lidi Ferraresi
An accessible structure for everyone, without any exclusion, this should be the goal that every beach establishment owner should pursue for their business. Fortunately, this trend is constantly increasing and sees more and more facilities modernizing to allow free access for all.
Let’s now try to understand what a beach must have to avoid architectural barriers and service disruptions. So let’s start from a common misconception that must be absolutely debunked: too often it is thought that placing a walkway on the beach is enough to make the area accessible for disabled people. A walkway allows wheelchair users to cross the beach without the risk of getting stuck, but this is not enough at all. The issue is much more complex! The walkway is, in fact, just one of many requirements. Let’s discover the others together.
The ‘non-mandatory’ requirements that contribute to making a facility of high quality are:
The possibility of accessing ALL services available within the facility;
All positions must be made accessible even after the user’s choice, to ensure the possibility of opting for any of the areas made available to the general public;
Presence of equipment that facilitates optimal entry and exit from the water without any difficulties;
- Play equipment for children with disabilities within the play areaEqually important is the presence of qualified personnel, who have been provided with the necessary training to use all the tools available within the establishment itself.
A critical factor that can also be found in an equipped tourist facility is the lack of maintenance. It can happen that, once the area for disabled access has been prepared, the facilities fall into a state of neglect due to poor maintenance and/or use, which inevitably leads them to develop critical issues in usage. In all this, the regions that are proving to be very ‘ahead’ are Tuscany and Emilia Romagna, which offer tourist facilities increasingly up to the needs of people with disabilities. In addition to promoting the facilities, there are also many initiatives for integration, awareness, and involvement of all types of disabilities.
The Florenz Open Air Resort has always been a pioneer in sustainable tourism, an attention that led it in 2014 to receive the European award (European Excellence Award For Accessible Tourism), specifically dedicated to this very important topic. It is one of the first villages in the area to guarantee disabled beach access to the Ferrara beaches. The entire village, and therefore not just the beach, is certified V4A, a classification that testifies to the complete accessibility of the entire area.
Don’t let anything stop you, book a vacation at the Florenz Open Air Resort!