OutdoorNebraska

Floating The Good Life • Nebraska Game and Parks Commission 41 In determining the design of a universally accessible landing, go through the actions that take a person and their craft from dry land to the water. Some of those actions are: Stabilizing the watercraft – transferring from a mobility assist device, such as a wheelchair, needs to be on secure surface so focus can be made on the motions of going from chair to watercraft seat. This is not easily done with the craft or wheelchair in the water, so most times transfer will need to occur with the craft out of the water. In the case of canoe or kayak, the preferred positioning is to set the watercraft perpendicular to the water so that any assisting individual can work from either side of the craft when transferring the person with disabilities. The horizontal and vertical transfer – in the case of transferring from a wheelchair, the actions that take place are to horizontally slide across to a position above the watercraft seat then to vertically lower down into that seat. These two actions should be considered separately and not necessarily accomplished as an able-bodied simultaneous action. Transfer to the water – once the person is secure in the seat, transferring the watercraft into the river or lake from a dry land surface then becomes a process of dragging the watercraft across that surface into the water. Take into consideration the surface material, distance, and gradient provided from where the watercraft is placed for the transfer to the water. A short distance on a relatively flat gradient across a surface that provides good traction to reduce the risk of slipping is the preferred solution. Figure 10 illustrates one alternative to providing a safe and effective way to transfer from a wheelchair into a kayak or canoe. Figure 10: Accessible Launch Transfer Providing the means to transfer to an individual's paddlecraft is an amenity greatly beneficial to the public. An example of a transfer bench is shown below. This cast concrete permanent feature is constructed at the launch. For rivers that frequently deposit sediment over the launch area during high flow events, another alternative may provide a removable bench secured in place when in use, then removed prior to highwater events. A transfer bench should be designed with a height at which an individual can move from a mobility assist device (wheelchair, walker, or braces). The bench should have with a clearance height and width to easily slide the water craft underneath and position the seat near the bench for a safe vertical transfer. If the ability to provide a public use transfer bench is not possible, or if it is not included in the launch design, providing a location where users can bring their own bench for temporary use allows some level of universal access. ACCESSIBLE LAUNCH TRANSFER ALTERNATIVE BOULDERS OR EASILY MAINTAINED MATERIALS retain steeper grades and provide access across the launch area. BENCH STRUCTURES can be removable or permanent with footings anchored at the launch. ACCESSIBLE SLOPES require less than 5% slope (1' vertical change to 20' horizontal change) but preferably not exceeding 2% slope, using STABLE SURFACE MATERIALS for mobility assist devices. TRANSFER BENCH can be a cast concrete permanent structure.

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