NAPLES, Fla. — Big changes are coming to beaches in Naples. City Council approved a $125,000 project designed to make the coastline more accessible to people with disabilities.
For Magali Saldana, who is visually impaired, the beach has felt out of reach.
“There is no way to go to the beach safely,” she said. “We have people that come to Naples for the beaches, and when we lose our sight, we lose the beaches.”
The approved upgrades will roll out or be revamped at three locations: Vedado Way Beach, Lowdermilk Park, and the Naples Pier.
They’ll include ADA-compliant amenities such as wider sidewalks and new outdoor showers and blue mats o make it easier to wheel and walk through the sand.
Kayla Butler, a certified orientation and mobility instructor and employee at Lighthouse of Collier, says impairments aren’t just physical, they’re are also emotional.
“Sometimes it makes things harder accessing your world… hanging out with friends,” Butler said. "It’s easy to kind of just stick to yourself. I think it’s important for the city to do what they can to help bridge that gap.”
For Saldana, these upgrades represent more than convenience.
“If we have more accommodations, it will be a freedom,” she said.
City leaders expect all improvements to be completed by early June. In places where you may have already seen the blue mats, they will be replaced with wider ones to be considered ADA compliant.
