Bradford Beach is more accessible with 100-foot concrete ramp
A five-year accessibility plan for Bradford Beach was completed last week with a 100-foot ramp from the street to the beach, plus beach wheelchairs that are free to use
The setup goes beyond basic compliance, said Ability Center CEO Damian Buchman —meaning “Milwaukee is home now to the most accessible beach in the country.”
The Ability Center, a nonprofit founded by Buchman, collaborated with Milwaukee County to install the ramp.
The ramp is 8 feet wide so people using wheelchairs can easily pass each other. It is made of smooth concrete instead of other materials, like wood, that can be uncomfortable for people who use wheelchairs, particularly those who don’t have head and neck control.
A portable nonslip mat makes up the rest of the distance to the water.
The ramp was designed to be used by people in walkers, wheelchairs and anyone else who struggles to move on sand.
It goes beyond a minimal effort just “to get people on the beach,” Buchman said.
“We wanted to do something everyone feels comfortable using. They can feel like they’re wanted here and belong here,” Buchman said.
He said he visited beaches around the country to see what Milwaukee could do better.
“When I was in Clearwater (Florida) you had to pay to rent beach wheelchairs,” he said. “That’s like saying, ‘Sorry you’ll have to pay $30 per hour to use a public beach.’ ”
Bradford Beach has four beach-accessible wheelchairs that can be checked out for free from The Dock.
Buchman’s group raised $100,000 to make Bradford Beach accessible through its RampUp MKE project, which works to make community gathering spaces around Milwaukee accessible.
They unveiled the ramp the same weekend the Americans With Disabilities Act was enacted 30 years ago.
For more information about RampUpMKE and accessibility features now available at Bradford Beach, visit tacwi.org/programs.