For many people with disabilities, exploring forests, ocean views, and walking and bike trails across SA is simply not accessible. This could all change, due to the ‘Access for All’ Federal Government initiative, led by former triathlete Yvette Eglinton.
When Yvette dislocated her T4 and T5 vertebrae, her world abruptly changed. Married and the mother of two young boys, Yvette had to rapidly master a wheelchair.
Prior to her cycling accident, she had led an extremely active lifestyle—as a marine biologist she was often in a boat, diving, driving the boat, mapping the sea, going for bike rides with her husband—now she had to undergo a fundamental change in her life.
So, she was overjoyed when offered the chance to shape a $130,000 initiative of the Federal Government, and Yvette is now the ‘Access For All’ coordinator within the ‘National Parks and Protected Area Program’ in the Department for Environment and Water, and she works at reducing marginalisation within the community.
The initiative will see alternative transport methods trialled across the state to improve tourism experiences for people living with disabilities. All-terrain wheelchairs and electric trikes will be available at popular regional locations, including the Riesling Trail in the Clare Valley, the Rail Trail in Melrose and at national parks over the Yorke Peninsula. Over time, more and more walks and trails are hopefully going to offer eTrikes, so all members of our community can get involved.
The project is still in its trial phase, and full evaluation and recommendations are still months away, but the outlook is extremely promising. Not only because user feedback is exceedingly encouraging, but both State and Federal Governments are fully behind the scheme.
The District Council of Yankalilla’s Economic, Tourism & Community Group manager, Lisa Pearson, worked alongside Ms Eglinton for the project. “The wheelchairs themselves have been taken into some really extreme environments,” Lisa said.
“They allow people living with a disability to get out there with their families and their friends, and participate in nature-based recreation and ride alongside all of their peers.
“The wheelchair is a sedan-like chair, with an operator on the front and back, so the passenger is passive.
“The eTrike looks a lot like a regular wheelchair but with the opportunity for the wheelchair-bound to get across small rocks, tree roots, and so on which a traditional wheelchair can’t do.”
“We searched around the globe for a suitable all-terrain wheelchair and found the eTrike,” said Yvie Eglinton.
“It started with Lisa having a disabled ‘trail rider’ chair down at Yankalilla for some of her council’s trails, but the trail rider is more for people with severe disabilities, and relies on two people—one at the front and one at the rear—to manage it. We needed something where people that are more independent can go off-road as well, but on their own.
“It started by Lisa and I saying we wanted something at Goondooloo Ridge (Deep Creek National Park, Fleurieu Peninsula). I was hoping the Wild South Coast Way budget could pay for just one chair to be based at Goondooloo, but there was no budget for it.
“Lisa, Caroline Ellison (from UniSA and who is academically evaluating the project) and myself got together. It occurred to us we could try for an ILC grant (Information Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) program—ILC provides funding to organisations to deliver projects in the community that benefit all Australians with disability, their carers and families).
“And then, for it to happen and to get the money, the project needed to go across several councils and it needed to be a pilot for other councils around Australia. So that’s how it started,” Yvie said.
The eTrike project has been trialled on the Fleurieu Peninsula and Marion Bay. So too the Copper Coast around Kadina, then Melrose is going to have a go. After that it’s back to Deep Creek, then up to the Mitcham Council area. Yvie would love to see the trials extend further west and north, too, into rural areas that are under-served with disability services.
One question that has been asked a lot already by those interested in the project is what sort of vehicle does a person with disabilities need to transport an eTrike? Yvie says that an urban/soft-roader SUV—a Subaru Forester, a Mazda CX-5, or similar—would be fine.
But what happens if an eTrike breaks down? Are specialist repairers required to be employed at each hiring location, for example? It turns out that ‘no’ is the answer. If there is a local bike shop that has experience in mountain bikes, then they will be able to make any repairs necessary and get the eTrike back out on the trails and walks very quickly.
Feedback and evaluation questions have already been created and are in the process of being rolled out, giving project participants an important voice in the future plans for the eTrike in South Australia.
Feedback so far on the project has been extremely positive:
“We are always looking for ways to enhance our tourism experiences for all on the Copper Coast. The Opening the Door to Nature (eTrike) project have recently conducted successful trials in our region, with great reviews from those living with a disability and their families,” reported Katrina Borlace, Copper Coast Council acting Chief Executive Officer.
“The MT Push and eTrikes are more equipped to tackle more challenging terrain when compared to your typical mobility aids. It’s our hope that this project continues to grow so we can provide all-inclusive experiences across all tracks and trails, and during our events throughout our region,” said Katrina.
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