Swampscott disability chair urges regional beach access, describes water‑wheelchair program at Revere meeting

Lauren Shrestha, chair of the Swampscott Commission on Disability, told the Revere Commission on Disabilities on Aug. 12 that her town’s water‑wheelchair program, fundraising for benches and fenced playgrounds, and outreach to nearby towns could be models for Revere.

Shrestha said Swampscott has two donor sources for its all‑abilities water wheelchairs — a family prototype used for a child and a separately donated adult chair — and that the chairs are available for use by neighboring communities. "The water wheelchairs can be used by any community," Shrestha said, adding that users generally check the equipment out through the police station so the town knows who has it.

Why it matters: Revere and neighboring North Shore towns have many beaches with rocky shorelines and limited accessible paths. Speakers at the meeting underscored that making beaches and municipal recreation facilities usable by people with disabilities requires coordination on storage, permitting and transportation of specialty equipment.

Key facts and local initiatives - Donors and storage: Shrestha said one water‑wheelchair came from a local family (a child‑size prototype) and another from an organization; Swampscott stores adult chairs near Fisherman’s Beach in lockers by the yacht…