SMILE Mass Floating Beach Wheelchair Award

“Investing in your Local ponds and beaches to provide accessibility to all”

How Can Your Local Beach Win a SMILE Mass Floating Beach Wheelchair Award?

Apply Now for 2025 Season
The SMILE Mass Floating Beach Wheelchair Award has been established to ensure that all our local ponds and beaches are accessible to everyone. For many, a trip to the beach is a relaxing way to enjoy sun, water, and family time on a beautiful summer day. But for those with a physically disabled family member, such a day can be far from relaxing, often filled with struggles and unexpected challenges due to the lack of accessibility to the beach.

Now, you can take an active role in making your local pond or beach more accessible to all by applying for The SMILE Mass Floating Beach Wheelchair Award.

Eligibility Guidelines

The Town must comply with the criteria below in order to be awarded a chair, so please ensure your beach qualifies before applying for the award opportunity.

• If your town is chosen for an award of a floating beach wheelchair from SMILE Mass, they must be willing to hold a public ceremony upon arrival of the chair to announce the award and the increased accessibility of the beach. The ceremony should include local press and important town officials.
• The beach must have handicapped parking.
• The town must be willing to post a sign recognizing the donation from SMILE Mass. (SMILE Mass will provide the sign, which is the size of a handicapped parking sign).
• The beach must have a storage facility to hold the beach wheelchair in a locked, secure location overnight.
• The beach must employ lifeguards or parking guards willing to provide access and to help facilitate clients borrowing the floating beach wheelchair.
• The town must be willing to oversee the maintenance of the beach wheelchair provided by SMILE Mass and to assign personnel to complete the maintenance schedule provided by SMILE Mass.
• The beach must have running water to rinse off the chair daily.
• The town must be willing to include information about SMILE Mass in the annual parks and recreation communication.
• The town must be willing to create a line item in the annual budget of a minimum of  $75 to help support the maintenance, replacement parts, and upkeep of the floating beach wheelchair.

Submissions will be read by an independent group of our volunteers, who will select award recipients.

2025 Award Cycle

• Award Application Launch Date: April 12, 2024
• Award Application Due Date: December 31, 2024
• Award Recipients will be notified by March 31, 2025

APPLY NOW FOR THE SMILE MASS FLOATING BEACH WHEELCHAIR AWARD 

Apply Now for 2025 Season

A SMILE Mass Floating Beach Wheelchair is Like a Day at the Beach…for everyone!