The Traveling Wheelchair

Ted Williams Camp
Alexander R. Gamache Memorial Playground
Precinct Street and Bedford Street
Lakeville, MA 02347
Phone:  508 946-8829
Website: http://www.lakevillema.org/departments/park_commission.cfm
You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnomJ7uGD84

I n August I was honored to speak at a   Department of Developmental Services (DDS) Training Seminar held at Ted Williams Camp. I spoke about Community Living, The Traveling Wheelchair and my Mission ‘To help make the world more sensitive, respectful, safer and accessible to all.” At this time I didn’t have time to review Ted Williams Camp for accessibility. Last week my mom, Ric, Amanda, Tony and I went back to review the Accessibility of Ted Williams Camp.

After seeing how very accessible the Mission Hill Playground is in Boston I was curious to see if Ted Williams Camp and the Alexander R. Gamache Memorial Playground located here are equally accessible for adults and children with disabilities. SADLY it is NOT!

Ted Williams Camp owned and managed by the Town of Lakeville sits on 124.5 acres on the shores of Loon Pond. It is adjacent to the Lakeville Public Library. Located at Ted Williams Camp is a function hall, 2 gazebos, 6 athletic diamonds, 2 basketball courts, 3 tennis courts, 16 horseshoe courts, 3 sand volleyball courts, 1 skateboard/bike court, 3 soccer fields, John J. Dicarlo Memorial Fitness Trail and Alexander R. Gamache Memorial Playground.

There are two entrances to Ted Williams Camp; one on Precinct Street (Rte 105) and one on Bedford Street (Rte 18). Only the main access road is paved (with a lot of pot holes and cracks). There are several parking lots but none are very accessible except for the small parking area in front of the function hall. This is the only parking area that is paved and the only place there are 3 handicap parking spaces. The other parking lots consisit of dirt, gravel and stone; puddles of water accumulate after a rain storm. We found NO wheelchair accessible walkways at Ted Williams Camp except the one leading to the function hall.

Our review will begin at the function hall.  There’s a large area to cover so this review will be much longer than most.

The Ted Williams Camp function hall is used for private and town functions, municipal town voting, classes and the annual Lakeville Haunted House. There are 3 handicap parking spaces located in front of the function hall close to an an accessible cement walkway leading from the handicap parking spaces to the front entry door. The entry door is NOT automatic so Ric held it open for me while Amanda pushed my manual chair inside. Two function rooms are located inside; both are spacious with plenty of room to maneuver your chair; the portable tables are all of a perfect height to comfortably fit your chair. The Men’s and Women’s restrooms are spacious and fully ADA Compliant except the pipes under the accessible sinks are not covered as is a new ADA requirement.

A few picnic tables are located in front and behind the function hall at Ted Williams Camp. Access to these areas is difficult due to grass and dirt. All the picnic tables have permanently attached benches; a few are somewhat accessible because my chair can fit in a little under the end of some of the tables. The most wheelchair accessible picnic tables I’ve seen are at Scusset Beach State Reservation  where the permanently mounted bench seats swing out and at Spectacle Island where the picnic table has a 48″ extension on the end for a person in a wheelchair to comfortably sit.

Located on the grounds of Ted Williams Camp behind the function hall is a large area where some functions are held; access to this can be difficult for the terrain consist of grass, dirt and tree roots. This is the area where I spoke at the DDS Training Seminar; I was in my Permobil C350 Power Chair and found access easier with my power chair.

Off to the left of this area are tennis courts. The courts are wheelchair accessible yet wheelchair access from the parking lot to these courts is difficult; the terrain consist of dirt and some crushed stone; and there are NO handicap parking spaces near the entrance of the tennis court.

I was in my manual chair when I reviewed Ted Williams Camp and would recommend you bring a Power Chair or Power Scooter when you visit here. A Gazebo located behind the function hall is NOT Wheelchair accessible for it has 2 steps leading up to it. This Gazebo overlooks Loon Pond. A set of stairs leads to the shore of this pond where a park bench is located  for visitors to sit and enjoy the view. This area is NOT wheelchair accessible due to the stairs leading down to the pond.

Located to the right of the Gazebo are some barbecue pits and a picnic table; this picnic table here is NOT wheelchair accessible for the benches are permanently attached and there is not enough room to fit my chair under the end of the table. The terrain in this area is diffciult to wheel on for it consist of dirt and tree roots sticking out of the ground. Behind this area is a sloped dirt boat launch to Loon Pond. Ric wheeled my chair down this dirt slope so I could enjoy the beautiful view of the pond. Getting back up was really hard! Ric struggled pushing my chair while Amanda helped pull me back up!

Next we saw the John J. Dicarlo Memorial Fitness Trail located in Ted Williams Camp. This is a hiking trail with rest stops and a concession. This trail is NOT wheelchair accessible due to the rough terrain of dirt and rocks. If I was in my Permobil C350 Power Chair I probably would have been able to access this area. A map located at this site showed where the trail leads. It would be nice to be able to take a wheel along this trail to see the sites, beach and concession.

We then came upon some horseshoe courts located in Ted Williams Camp. The gate to 3 of these courts was opened so Ric and I rolled in. We didn’t see any horseshoes and would have loved to play a little of this game. The terrain here is of grass and cement and we managed with little problem. Next to these 3 courts is the Loon Pond Horseshoe Club. The gate to these courts was locked so we think it is a private club. Next to this area are the basketball courts where the pavement is easy to wheel on. It would be nice if there were one lowered basketball net so a person in a wheelchair or a child can shoot some hoops! We then came upon 3 sand volley ball courts which would ONLY be accessible if you are in an All Terrain chair like my Beach Wheelchair. Then I saw a skate boarding/bike court with ramps one can use to jump. It reminded me of when I used to skateboard and ride my BMX bike when I was young. It also reminded me of my old time favorite movie RAD that came out in 1986; I was 10 years old; the year before I became disabled.

Off in a distance at Ted Williams Camp I saw all the baseball fields, football fields, and soccer fields. All of these athletic fields are difficult to access due to the tough terrain consisting mostly of grass and dirt. There are NO Accessible Walkways leading to these fields. The town needs to place an accessible walkway or Mobi-Mat RecPath that we saw at Surf Drive Beach so persons with physical disabilities or in wheelchairs can access these fields.

A person with a physical disability would have a hard time getting to the fields where their child, brother, sister or friend plays baseball, football or soccer here. A CHILD with a physical disAbility would NOT be able to paticipate or access a team sport here.

“If I were to tell you about an organized youth baseball league, You might call it ordinary.
If I were to tell you the athletes are physically and mentally challenged, You might call it touching.
If you were to see them play you would call it a Miracle.” 

To see this MIRACLE click on The Miracle League.

Presently there are 200 Miracle League Organizations across the United States including Puerto Rico; 100 completed rubberized fields, and 100 fields under construction. The Miracle League serves over 80,000 children and young adults with disabilities.

I played little league baseball before I became disabled and I cherish the memories. Little League Baseball is a wonderful Team Sport for ALL children to play! Wouldn’t it be WONDERFUL to see a Miracle League built for children with disabilities in Southeastern Massachusetts at Ted Williams Camp! There’s plenty of room here. I’m sure Ted Williams would agree “Every Child Deserves A Chance to Play Baseball.”

We also saw a Men’s restroom/outhouse located in a grassy area close to the function hall in front of the fields. I couldn’t access it because I was in my manual chair but Ric went to check it out. This Men’s restroom/outhouse is NOT Wheelchair accessible due to two small steps. Further out in the field is a Port-A-John that is wheelchair accessible and ADA compliant with safety grab bars.

Lastly we visited Alexander R. Gamache Memorial Playground which is located accross from the function hall at Ted Williams Camp. Sadly I found this playground is NOT very wheelchair friendly or accessible to children in wheelchairs. Access to the playground is difficult due to the path of stone slabs set in grass and dirt. Once inside the playground area, I was pleased to find a wheelchair accessible cement/brick pathway which curves around the play equipment. There is one picnic table that is accessible.

This playground has swings, slides, play bars, park benches, picnic tables and a gazebo. The ONLY play equipment that is somewhat wheelchair accessible is a hand bike that I was able to access it from the cement walkway; yet my wheelchair was half-way off the sidewalk when I used it. I think it is of an accessible height for a child in a wheelchair to reach. NONE of the other play equipment I saw is accessible to children with physical disabilities in a wheelchair; NONE have ADA ramps or  Rubber Mulch which helps prevents injuries from falls like the Mission Hill Playground. All the play equipment is set in the center on wood chips which are very difficult to wheel on. Ric managed to wheel my chair over the wood chips and under the play bars but no child would ever be able to reach them.

The Gazebo set in the center of this playground at Ted Williams Camp is NOT wheelchair accessible for it has a small step. A shaded area with a picnic bench is NOT accessible either for it has a step leading to it. A small bridge is NOT SAFE for a person in a wheelchair or a child in a stroller for it is missing a board at the end and the wheel of a wheelchair or stroller could easily get stuck and tip over :<(

Here I was delighted to see my friend, Dina who I haven’t seen in many years; Dina worked at the nursing home where I lived for 20 years. She was always kind to me when she took care of me back in 1995. She remembered me and introduced me to her cute grandson Keaton.

I give Ted Williams Camp TWO STARS for wheelchair accessibility. In order to become All Inclusive and to earn the other Three Stars they would need to install an automatic entry door at the function hall so a person in a wheelchair can enter independently; place protective covering around the pipes under the accessible sinks in the function hall restrooms; place some handicap parking spaces in all the parking lots; place an accessible walkway leading to the various recreational areas and athletic fields; place a wheelchair accessible picnic table at the barbecue pit area; place an accessible threshold at the Gazebo behind the function hall and the Gazebo at the playground; place an accessible threshold at the restroom/outhouse; pave or compress the dirt on the hiking trail so it is more accessible and easier to wheel on; place an accessible walkway to the entrance of the playground; place ADA compliant Rubber Mulch at the playground which helps prevents injuries from falls; and place some accessible playground equipment for children with disAbilities in the Alexander R. Gamache Memorial Playground.

ALL PUBLIC PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS SHOULD BE ALL INCLUSIVE. I do realize that many town municipalities have a Budget Crisis during this tough economy. Yet there are Federal and State Grants, Resources and Tax Incentives ( http://www.ada.gov/taxincent.htm) available for facilities like Ted Williams Camp and Alexander R. Gamache Memorial Playground to Remove Access Barriers and make Access Renovations. Massachusetts Office on Disability will have more information available at MOD - Massachusetts Office on Disability.

As for starting a Miracle League in your community, contact Diane Alford at The National Miracle League office: email Diane@miracleleague.com or call 770-760-1933 to request a Miracle League starter kit and acquire information about starting a Miracle League in your community.