Handiplage

Association Handiplage works to promote the accessibility of French beaches to people with any type of disability. More and more towns are now equipping their beaches to allow access for the disabled: special car park, rolling walkways to make it easy to get to the water, buzzer alerts  that allows sight impaired persons to swim independently in maximum safety conditions, and also the collaboration of people who can assist the disabled person to go into and out of the water.
 
In partnership with Handisport Pays – Basque, Handiplage publishes "Handi Long", a guidebook rating the accessibility of beaches in Aquitaine and the Atlantic Pyrenees region to people with disabilities.
Handiplage indicate which beaches have disabled access and facilities available. Beaches are rated as "independently accessible", "accessible with assistance", or "for the adventurous only".

The association Handiplage has also participated in the development of products, such as the Tiralo amphibious beach wheelchair. The Tiralo, an amphibian chair, can move along the sand, pushed by a Handiplage lifeguard, and float in the water, making swimming possible for those of reduced mobility.

Since 2006, the association provides training to the Handiplage lifeguards in order to provide a better assistance service on the French accessible beaches.

For more information :
Association Handiplage
33, rue des Faures
64100 BAYONNE
handiplage@handiplage.fr
More information in : www.handiplage.fr
Fax : 05 59 59 24 21
Tél. : 05 59 59 24 21