Mats let beachgoers in wheelchairs get closer to the ocean in Hempstead Town

New mobility mats rolled out at Hempstead Town beaches will finally allow beachgoers who use wheelchairs, like the special needs son of Hempstead Councilwoman Missy Miller, to get closer to the ocean, the councilwoman said Friday.

Miller said that while she was serving as a state Assembly member she had advocated unsuccessfully for the past six years  for state legislation to extend mobility to the high-tide mark at all New York State beaches. The shorter access mats limited her 22-year-old son Oliver to the hottest part of the beach, away from the water, she said.

Miller said that after she left the  Assembly earlier this year she was able, with the help of a Gold Award Girl Scout, to persuade the Town of Hempstead to deploy mats on the sand at several beaches that extend to the high-tide line. Miller also has worked to deploy the mats in the Village of Atlantic Beach.

Miller and her son joined Girl Scout Anna Nealon, 17, of Malverne, and Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin to roll out the blue  mobility mats at Atlantic Beach Estates on Friday.

“It's obviously so much easier for somebody like my son Oliver who's in a wheelchair to be able to get down to the water, but it's not just for people that are disabled,” Miller said. “This makes life so much easier for everybody.”

The mats help families pushing strollers and coolers closer to the beach, Miller said.

Hempstead Town board members approved buying 18 50-foot mats for $27,000. The mats are being used at Point Lookout, the Malibu Sands beach where the town hosts its senior program and  at East Atlantic Beach.

Nealon partnered with Miller and town workers to expand the beach mats after Nealon had volunteered at Camp Anchor, a special needs camp in Lido Beach, and saw the mats being used there.

Nealon said she wanted to increase access after spending time with her 23-year-old cousin, who has the neurological disorder Rett syndrome and uses a wheelchair.

“We were never able to take her to the beach on Long Island and we were not able to bring down her chair to the water,” Nealon said. “I’m just excited to be here and see it’s not just affecting the lives of campers.”

The town’s previous mats extended only about six feet.

Long Beach city officials also voted earlier this month to buy 11 mats for about $25,000 to replace damaged mats.

Miller grew up in Atlantic Beach and watched as her aging father struggled to reach the ocean, where he loved to swim, she said, adding that she wants to expand access to all beaches.

“There's this unfortunate thing in New York State where ADA [Americans With Disabilities Act] compliance is able to be interpreted differently than what the laws were truly intended,” Miller said.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.