Dubai beaches made accessible to the physically challenged

Dubai - The Dubai Municipality's move to set up beach ramps for the disabled and senior citizens is in line with the "My community ... A city for everyone" initiative launched by Shaikh Hamdan.

New ramps have been set up in Dubai beaches, providing easy access to the beach side for the physically challenged, the elderly and parents with babies in prams. Pushing wheelchairs and prams to the beach side will be an easy task with these specially designed walkways.
The Dubai Municipality's move to set up beach ramps for the disabled and senior citizens is in line with the "My community ... A city for everyone" initiative launched by Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council.
Alya Abdul Rahim Al Harmoudi, director of environment department, said the move is also in line with Dubai's strategy to transform the emirate into a disabled-friendly city by 2020.
"It also boosts the commitment and efforts of the Dubai Municipality in providing services to integrate the disabled into society and enable them to benefit from the facilities and public places supervised by the civic authority," she said. Al Harmoudi said the public beaches in Dubai are among the most important public facilities in the city, and a destination frequented by thousands of residents and tourists.
She noted that the soft sands of the beaches impede the movement of wheelchairs and prams, and the ramps will help overcome this.
The ramps will be available in Al Mamzar creek and corniche, Jumeirah beach 3 and Umm Suqeim 1 and 2. The locations were carefully selected to be linked to the car parks for the disabled, the official added.
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• Dubai