By: Vusi Mthalane, South Coast Sun
Photo: rolling_with_reece on Instagram
The sports centre will have action soccer, action cricket, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, blind soccer and blind cricket.
Wesley Smith and his son Reece have big plans of turning Amanzimtoti into the most disability-friendly venue in the country through One Beach, a programme spearheaded by their organisation, Wheels on Waves.
Wesley said the plan is to have one beach that fully caters for the disabled community. The main mission, he said, is to bring disabled people out of their homes and integrate them into mainstream society.
Once One Beach is up and running, the disabled people planning to visit Amanzimtoti can contact Wheels on Waves, who will then find out what their disability is, how long they are coming for, and what they plan to do.
“We’ll furnish them with the details of all places that are wheelchair-accessible. For all of that to happen, we need Beach Road to be flattened out so that those using wheelchairs can independently use it from the shopping centre all the way to Pipeline Beach,” said Wesley.
He said they are looking at getting funding this year, and negotiations are already ongoing.
“We even have plans to create a sports centre and an educational centre for people with disabilities. Able-bodied people can also come there and learn sign language, learn how to approach disabled people, and learn to approach the primary carers,” he said.
The double-storey arena sports centre overlooking the ocean will have action soccer, action cricket, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, blind soccer and blind cricket.
“We also want able-bodied people to play those sports,” he said.
Wesley also plans to establish a support group for primary carers of people living with disabilities, where they can share their experiences.
“We still want to do it in Toti, and if we stay here, we’ll bring more sporting events so that when the disabled people come, they will have an array of choices. People can also come to watch sporting events on the big screen, and Reece can commentate for the blind,” said Wesley.
Wheels on Waves will also divert into job creation for the disabled. Wesley encouraged businesses to employ disabled people.
“Deaf people want to work, blind people want to work, people in wheelchairs want to work, they just want to be given an opportunity,” he said.
Reece suffers from a rare congenital disorder called arthrogryposis, which causes his spine to curve as he grows older. He and his father were recently in Cape Town to get a second opinion from Professor Robert Dunn, a leading spine surgeon.
