How accessible are the sauna services for those in a wheelchair?
Since 2004, seeing examples of environmental accessibility in Norway, the Liepāja society for the blind started taking the first steps to implement better accessible environments, services and access information for people with disabilities in Latvia. In 2006, in order to educate ourselves on this topic, we participated in environmental accessibility courses with the association “Apeirons”. It was in contact with people that are in a wheelchair that we learned their needs and the limited opportunities they have, we realised that many of those in the wheelchair have very limited free movement and that quality of life for them, is at a low level, because many services, information and products are not available or easily accesible.
After the completion of the courses, we had the opportunity to go to a sauna and one memory in particular stuck with Māris Ceirulis, Chairman of the society: “A man in a wheelchair, whose legs didn't function, but his upper body strength was sufficient enough to come with us in the sauna, and he was fine - he drives his wheelchair into the sauna and then sits up on the sauna's bench and I tought to myself: "it's good for everyone to take part". Afterwards, the man wanted to for a relaxing swim in the pool. I didn't see the moment he got into the pool, but when he wanted to get out of the pool there were problems, like any other pool, there were tall poolsides and ladders, but he could'nt get out either side or the stairs. In this situation, of course, you need to rush to help and get the man out of the pool, but the he was heavy, wet and he didn't have anything to grab on to. At the end we dragged him out with great effort, but we ourselves were surprised by the fact that one wanted to use the sauna service, then wanted to go out as a whole for a swim, but he could'nt get out anymore. Then we began to think it was terrible. Why deny these people what everyone else can enjoy? '
The availability of such services is a pressing issue. We have advised the Liepāja Olympic Centre, where there is a pool, to implement a rack with which you can safely lower someone into the pool - the availability of the environment there is not sufficient, inaccessible to a person with a disability. When we developed environmental accessibility guidelines for the Ministry of Welfare in 2011, we looked for solutions on- how a wheelchair occupant could experience what all people could enjoy, such as moving onto a boat - how can that person be appointed to a boat from the shore if it swings? We consulted other people with disabilities, organisations and found solutions to how this can be addressed.
How did the idea of building a sauna for people with disabilities come about?
“In other words, given that from 2012 the society has a social rehabilitation and cognition centre, “Dvēseles veldzes dārzs” the first thought was that it was imperative to create a pond, a beach and, in time, a sauna. We've dug the pond already, with a bank that does'nt slope with a steep angle, so that any person in a wheelchair can drive in the water safely. On the other side of the pond, we made a beach for people who are purely psychologically reluctant to appear in public because of their disability, and here you can feel comfortable, sunbathing in an inclusive environment,” says Māris Ceirulis.
The next stage we're working on right now is building a sauna building with a salt room and accommodation tailored to people sitting in a wheelchair and to people with other disabilities. A blind person also wants to enjoy these services and the environment must be made safe enough to not burn his/her hands or tip anything over. It is planned to connect the sauna to the adjacent pond so that visitors to the sauna, including people in wheelchairs whose upper body strength allows them to enter the pond themselves, or with the help of an assistant and they can both enjoy a relaxing swim in the pond.
In order to implement this, please consider donating financial, material or other support for the construction of the abovementioned sauna in the social rehabilitation and cognition centre in the rural environment “Dvēseles veldzes dārzs”, in Ziemupe, Pāvilosta region.
Reg. No 40008093846
Bank: SEB Bank AS
IBAN account: LV84UNLA0012000701456
SWIFT code: UNLALV2X
Payment reference: donation for the implementation of the sauna project