Jalisco’s first “disabled-inclusive” beach has opened in Cuastecomates in the municipality of Cihuatlán just north of Melaque.
The amenities and services on the beach include specially adapted wheelchairs, a beach-level wooden boardwalk, amphibious crutches and special equipment and vessels for snorkeling. Trained first-aid and medical personnel are on call at all times.
The project is unique in that the coastal village itself has also been significantly adapted to cater to the disabled. The streets and sidewalks are all one level (no steps), there are signs in Braille, tactile paving, an area for guide dogs and disabled accessible toilets.
The state government has invested around 40 million pesos in the project, that also includes a new wastewater treatment plant.
Although Playa del Carmen was the first disabled-inclusive beach to open in Mexico, Cuastecomates is the first to extend the initiative to include its accompanying town.
Some 300,000 people in Jalisco suffer from some kind of disability, according to Family Development Agency (DIF) figures.