A Time and Place to Unwind

Winter has officially set in, and I don’t know about you, but all this snow has me craving sunshine and sand. But for families that have disabled children or family members, planning a getaway or a vacation can often be anything but relaxing. Between finding accessible accommodations and packing up the boatloads of equipment needed, getting a glimpse of respit can be a grueling process. That’s the harsh reality of living with a disability though, as much as you would love to have a week free from all of your challenges to squish the sand between your toes and frolic independently into the ocean, it’s just not a reality to get time off for good behavior. On the contrary though, it is possible to make a vacation an enjoyable process with the appropriate means.

SMILE Mass is working towards making that a reality for all of our consumers that we are able to, by renting out our fully accessible beachfront condo in Truro. The first floor of the condo is fully accessible, with an accessible roll-in shower that has its own bath chair. Additionally, the back of the property has breath-taking ocean views not to mention the fact that in a few mere rolls of the wheels, or steps, you are on the sand. And to help make beachfront activities more accessible, a mat that extends the condo’s patio further onto the sand in addition to a beach wheelchair that allows wheelchair-bound renters to both frolic in the sand and the ocean–devoid of the typical barriers.

For many being able to stay at this property, is something akin to a dream-come-true–because it is the only realistic way for families with disabled family members to have anything resembling a “normal” and relaxing vacation.

In speaking from my own experience, my family has been taking beach vacations every summer for as far back as I can remember–they weren’t always a fun time for me. While the various destinations that we visited on the east coast were always nothing shy of magnificent, it bothered me more than I cared to admit–when I was younger, especially–watching my younger cousins play in the sand while I was resigned to reading my book from where my chair rested on the pavement. Furthermore, given that these vacations meant that I could not have a decent shower and hair washing for a week, due to the inaccessible bathroom accommodations, was another aspect that my teenage self was not particularly enthusiastic about. That’s not even including the hassle when it comes to scouting out a somewhat-accessible beach and the hours-long process that then entailed getting to the beach every day.

Last summer was the first time my family and I stayed a beachfront accessible property, and it made all the difference in the world. It felt like a real vacation, for once. Unfortunately, due to the fact that SMILE Mass only possesses one condo to date, it is all booked for this summer. However, it’s never too early to plan for summer 2023!