WESTPORT, Wash. — "Oh do you want me to slow down?" Keith Inman asked as he sped down the beach. There’s no slowing down this disabled Desert Storm veteran when he visits the ocean. Not since Westport got a David’s Chair.
"It's so cool being able to come out to the beach,” Inman said.
This all terrain wheelchair helps people with mobility challenges enjoy the salt air and sandy shores.
“It's getting back into nature as best I can,” Inman said.
The chair arrived summer of 2024. It's free for anyone to use. The City of Westport and the Westport South Beach Historical Society brought it to the community, and volunteers manage getting it to and from the beach for people to use. The community would like to raise enough money to purchase another.
“Bringing the wheelchairs for beach access was really part of a mobility project for the Historical Society and the City, and it's become a popular topic to encourage outdoor mobility,” said John Shaw, executive director of the Westport South Beach Historical Society. “This track chair really offers a safe way for people to get on and off and get close to the beach experience. It's a feel good thing for this town."
"I have a blast with it,” said Inman, who would like the town to get a second chair so he could visit the beach with his wife, who is also in a wheelchair. "It's a great thing that Westport went to the trouble to get this so that we can do this."
The David’s Chair at Westport is free to use, reservations are recommended.
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