Egypt’s coastal city of Alexandria has recently opened the first “beach for the blind” in the country.
It aims to provide the blind with the opportunity to enjoy the sea like other members of the community.
The head of the Central Administration for Tourism and Resorts in Alexandria, Gamal Rashad, told local media that the beach for the blind in Mandara neighborhood has paths through the water with an entry hole that allows the person to move and swim inside the water, using his hands to identify the lines of cork buoys along which he knows the path of movement is within a safe water depth.
They feel these lane lines with their hands and on their own and enjoy the water as much as they want and go out alone without the need for anyone's help. They are monitored by rescue teams.
He explained that the beach was developed for the visually impaired by establishing corridors in the water with a descent hole and an exit hole. There is a presence of lifeguards on the beach.
The Blind Beach is part of a larger beach in Alexandria opened last year called the “People of Determination Beach,” the first of its kind in Egypt. The beach contains a space that allows people with mobility disabilities to go to the sea in wheelchairs, on top of a box that has been prepared for this purpose. It is designed as a submersible floor with a certain depth that allows wheelchairs to walk. Above them there are water sprinklers that allow them to enjoy themselves.
Hassan Ali Abdel Kader, head of the Association of the Blind in Alexandria, said that state agencies are interested in the issue of people with special needs, in order to integrate them into society.
“On opening day of the beach, the people, especially young ones, were high in the sky. They were laughing and in a happy mood. Every day, the association's members come to enjoy the beach and we find great interaction and great happiness with the idea,” Abdel-Kader told the Majalla.
He said that the association sponsors more than 2,000 blind people of different ages.
“They have a love of curiosity and the ability to use the paths designated for them in the beach with great proficiency,” he added.
Abdel Kader pointed out that the depth is suitable for all heights, so that the blind or visually impaired do not need a companion, and even children need escorts only to warn them of an area whose depth may not be suitable for them.
“They put a whistle on their necks when they go down to the beach, and we ask them to use it when they sense any danger, but in general we found them enjoying the experience and using the ropes as paths in the water very skillfully,” he pointed out.
According to the State-owned Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), there are roughly 20 million Egyptians with special needs nationwide in 2020.
Dina Helali, a member of the Human Rights and Social Solidarity Committee in the Senate, described that the opening of the first beach for the blind in Alexandria as an important step to achieving more rights of people with disabilities, and a reflection of the national human rights strategy which pays special attention to the gains of people with disabilities.
In a press release, she called to normalize this experience on all beaches in Egypt, in implementation of Law No. 10 of 2018 addressing the rights of people with disabilities regarding the provision of all facilities in the state for the use of the disabled in order to achieve the principle of community integration and create a decent life for them.
Helali highlighted the necessity of preparing a unified and updated database on persons with disabilities, inclusively with all conditions, and setting more effective plans to guarantee their rights, improve their conditions, and work to develop integrated services provided to persons with disabilities.
