51ΑΤΖζ occupational therapy student Caroline Roberts watched Saturday as her boyfriend Jordan Wilkens went to the Lake Michigan shoreline for the first time in 14 years.
βWeβve been waiting two years for this,β Roberts said. βItβs the first time weβve been able to go to the beach together.β
Wilkens and other disabled Milwaukee residents were able to enjoy Bradford Beach Saturday β some for the first time β thanks to Roberts and several other 51ΑΤΖζ students and volunteers. They have been working with The Ability Center, a local non-profit, and Milwaukee County Parks to install temporary mats allowing easier access to the beach, as well as to purchase special wheelchairs for traversing the sand.
Saturday was also the first phase of a citywide initiative called Ramp Up MKE aimed at making recreational areas more accessible, said Guy Smith, chief of operations for Milwaukee County Parks. The city is considering installing three permanent ramps and possibly a boardwalk at Bradford Beach over the next three years, he said.
Roberts lives five minutes from the beach, but felt she and Wilkens were missing a simple Milwaukee pleasure: going to the beach together. Being there for the first time as a couple was deeply moving.
βIt makes me want to cry,β she said.
βItβs great to just finally feel involved,β Wilkens said. Previous attempts to visit the beach left him unable to make it more than three feet before the sand made using his wheelchair impossible.
βTo be out here, to be in the middle of people, itβs pretty amazing,β he said.
In March, Roberts heard that Racine installed special mats to make its beachfront more accessible. She contacted Milwaukee County Parks and found it was receptive to her suggestion to implement similar work here.
The parks department is committed to eliminating barriers to recreational areas such as Bradford Beach, Smith said.
Two specialized beach wheelchairs are available from the parks department, said Jeff Orlowski, senior recreation manager for Milwaukee County. The chairs are easier to push and navigate in the sand.
The Ability Center is raising money to buy two additional chairs, Orlowski said. The group has $5,000. If an additional $2,500 can be raised, an anonymous donor will match that amount. To make a donation, visit
Allyssa Guard, a 51ΑΤΖζ occupational therapy student, was inspired by Robertsβ involvement. Guard made a donation to Ramp Up MKE and was there Saturday to help install the mats and transfer beach-goers to the new wheelchairs.
βYou should be able to participate in anything that you want to.β Guard said. βAnd having a ramp like this and wheelchairs that can go across the sand does that for people.β
βIt means the world to access the beach,β Wilkens said. “These wheelchairs give you a new life on the beach.β
