Hospitals in Action >> Case Examples

RehabilitationHospital of the Pacific – Honolulu , Hawaii
‘Day at the Beach’ with AccesSurf Hawaii, Inc. Program

What is it?
Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific (REHAB) supported several former patients and therapeutic recreation specialists to join with a group of local surfers to develop a partnership with AccesSurf, which is dedicated to making the ocean accessible to all. AccesSurf provides adaptive surfing, shoreline flotation, swimming instruction, permanent wheelchair beach mat paths on beaches, and development of aquatic equipment for adaptive surfing, kayaking, and swimming. Joining this effort is the University of Hawaii’s College of Engineering, where senior mechanical engineering students take part in designing projects to improve beach and ocean accessibility, with a grant from REHAB. 

Who is it for?
Persons with physical or cognitive disabilities who have a desire to enter the water.

Why do they do it?
To make Hawaii ’s beaches accessible and to provide ways for people with disabilities to get back into the ocean. The ocean has always been valued in Polynesian culture, and Hawaii's beaches are a primary attraction for tourists and a vital part of many families’ vocational and leisure endeavors. REHAB’s partnership with AccesSurf offers patients and their families a way to add the ocean as part of the rehabilitation process and to support Hawaii's Polynesian heritage. 

Impact: Over the past two years, this program has served over 400 persons with disabilities. The UH engineering team has designed and manufactured an adaptive kayak and, this year, will be working on an adaptive beach wheelchair.

Contact: Kate Church, CTRS
Recreation Therapist
Telephone: 808-531-3511
E-mail: cchurch@rehabhospital.org