A group of beachgoers are splashing in the sea at a sunny spot along the busy coast of Alexandria. But this is no ordinary beach.
Almost everyone here is blind or visually impaired as they cling to floating barriers and ropes. Mandala Beach, the first of its kind in the Arab world’s most populous country, is specially adapted for access by swimmers with physical disabilities. For many, it’s not just her day of fun and relaxation, it’s a rare opportunity for empowerment.
why i wrote this
A small project in Egypt inspired by the power of empathy shows that when a society treats helpless people with dignity, everyone benefits.
Developing countries such as Egypt lack many adaptations to make public spaces accessible to persons with disabilities. A recent law aims to make Egypt more accessible and inclusive for her 12 million citizens living with disabilities. However, the reality is that there is still imperfect service delivery and discrimination.
For Mohamed Attia and his wife Sahar, who use wheelchairs, Mandala gave them the first opportunity to enjoy the beach together. A friendly swimmer helped me move my wheelchair into the water. “Before, you had to crawl on the sand every time you entered the water,” he says Attia.
His dream that other people with disabilities won’t have to face that humiliation may come true. I have a plan.
A group of beachgoers splash and frolic in the sea in a sunny spot along the bustling coast of Alexandria, Egypt’s second-largest city. But this is no ordinary beach.
Clinging to floating barriers and ropes, you’re safe knowing there are attentive lifeguards nearby, but most people here are either blind or visually impaired. Mandala Beach is the first of its kind in the most populous country in the Arab world and is specially designed for swimming by people with reduced mobility. For many, it is more than just his day of fun and relaxation, it is a rare opportunity for empowerment.
Mandala, which will open for people using wheelchairs in 2021, underwent another renovation last year. Thousands of visually impaired citizens were able to swim safely in the calm cerulean Mediterranean waters at the height of Egyptian summer when the refurbished beach reopened in his June .
why i wrote this
A small project in Egypt inspired by the power of empathy shows that when a society treats helpless people with dignity, everyone benefits.
Many of the adaptations that make public spaces accessible to people with disabilities, which are taken for granted in Western countries, are lacking in developing countries such as Egypt. In a country where residents with disabilities are deprived of basic equal opportunities, Mandala has attracted both tour groups from disability organizations and thousands of ordinary families, its administration team says.
“This is the first time I’ve been to the ocean,” says Sarah, one of the beachgoers, with a beaming smile. “I was very happy,” she said.
Sarah, who traveled from Sharqia, 130 miles east of Alexandria, says she hopes all blind people will one day be able to enjoy what she calls “life-changing.”
inclusive design
About 12 million Egyptians live with a disability, of which about 3.5 million face a visual impairment.
In 2018, President Abdel Fatt al-Sisi declared the Year of the Disabled. Its aim was to make Egypt more accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities, and parliament has responded with a number of laws, including the provision of state-subsidized health care to people with disabilities. .
Other perks included duty-free purchases of automobiles, educational and medical materials, and imported assistive devices. Attorney fees for persons with disabilities, whether plaintiffs or defendants, were also waived. And in 2021, Congress has approved tougher penalties for bullying people with disabilities.
“The 2018 law is great,” says Hassan Abdel Qader, president of the Association for the Blind of Alexandria. “But the problem lies in its implementation.”
Campaigners say many public spaces and transportation remain inaccessible, assistive technology is hard to come by, services for people with disabilities are spotty and discrimination is common.
Still, change is slowly coming.
A few months ago, an official from Alexandria’s Ministry of Tourism and Resorts, Jihad Mohammed Naguib, was inspired by a story he heard from Alexandria’s governor, Major General Mohamed El-Sherif. He said there were no blind people on the beach, the pride of the coastal city.
Naguib couldn’t stop thinking about it and wanted to do something to help them, she later said in a television interview.
“The idea of allocating part of the beach to the visually impaired was proposed after the successful opening of the Mandala Beach free for people with mobility impairments,” Maj. Gen. Sheriff said in an interview. .
Thus began the work, funded by the Rotary Club of Alexandria Pharos.
Floating ropes containing plastic balls were set up on flat parts of the beach, and visually impaired swimmers were able to carry these ropes in and out of the water. Wheelchair users were able to use the improved ramp. At the ends of the ramps were attached submerged metal boxes that ensured safety while at sea. Lifeguards and first aid units were also available, which is not always the case on public beaches in Egypt.
Those directly affected and most likely to benefit were consulted from the beginning. “We suggested some that they have already implemented and some that they promised to implement in the future,” says Qader.
The proposal includes a whistle for children who feel unsafe, and a rope that extends from the beach entrance to the sea, allowing visually impaired visitors to reach the sea without assistance.
Beach managers are currently researching ways to make beaches safe for children with mental disorders, autism and epilepsy.
windows of empowerment
The beach is the latest in a recent string of difficult successes for the blind in Egypt. The Egyptian Blind Sports Federation already operates several sports teams, including football, weightlifting, judo and showdown (a type of air hockey for the blind).
But gaps remain.
“Most services, recreational and sporting activities for the blind are concentrated in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, while other cities in Egypt have few functions,” said the former head of public affairs at the Egyptian Association for the Blind. says Moamen Mostafa. “In some provinces, there are no places for the visually impaired to carry out sporting activities, and in many cases it is not possible to find places to offer courses and training for the visually impaired.”
Egypt does not yet have a swim team for the blind that can compete in international competitions, Mostafa said.
This makes Mandala Beach more appealing to groups who have difficulty accessing recreational and sporting activities.
Mohamed Attia, 52, and his wife, Sahar, 40, both use wheelchairs, and this was their first time enjoying the beach together.
“I’m happy to be able to enter the sea for the first time in my life, which I could only see from afar,” said Attia.
The couple were delighted to find a group of people who helped move their wheelchairs into the water.Attia has been in the water before, but this visit was a first of a different kind. It was from “Before, you had to crawl on sand every time you entered the water,” he explains.
Attia says she hopes other people with disabilities will never have to face such humiliation. “People with this idea have a caring heart. I sincerely hope that this project will continue and spread to all the beaches of Egypt,” he adds.
That wish may come true. Bolstered by the success and wide support of Mandala Beach, Major General Sheriff said there are plans to open a similar facility on his beach at Amfushi in Alexandria. From there, he hopes to spread the idea across the country.
This story is co-published with Egab.
