For wheelchair users, a day at the beach usually ends where the sidewalk does. Miami Beach is changing that. At Beach View Park, 5301 Collins Avenue, the city and the Sabrina Cohen Foundation are building the Pathway of Inclusion, the first permanent ADA-accessible paver path on any of the city's public beaches, with the park's makeover expected to finish by the end of the year.

A first for Miami Beach

Soft sand is one of the hardest surfaces there is for a wheelchair, a walker or unsteady feet. Temporary mats help, but they come and go. The Pathway of Inclusion is a permanent paved route that will make it easier for people with disabilities, veterans, children with special needs and seniors to reach the beach on their own terms.

The path is part of a broader upgrade to Beach View Park that adds new playground equipment, exercise stations, walkways, landscaping, irrigation and outdoor furniture. The park is fenced off during construction, and the City of Miami Beach expects to wrap up the work by the end of 2026.

Beach View Park sits on Collins Avenue in Mid-Beach, at 53rd Street, a stretch lined with condos and hotels where an easier route to the water will be welcome. A permanent path also changes the experience for families: a grandparent with a walker, a parent pushing a stroller and a child in a wheelchair can all head down to the sand together.

The woman behind it

The project is led by the Sabrina Cohen Foundation. Founder Sabrina Cohen uses a wheelchair, and she has been running adaptive beach days in Miami Beach since 2016, giving people who rarely get near the ocean a way into the water. The pathway grows out of a decade of that work.

The bigger goal sits right beside it. The foundation is raising money for an Adaptive Recreation Center at the same location, which it describes as the first of its kind: a permanent oceanfront facility with fitness and therapy spaces, a rooftop pool and beachside activities for people with mobility challenges.

Put your name in the path

The pathway is partly paid for by residents. Personalized 4-by-8-inch commemorative bricks cost $500 each and can carry your name, your family's name, or the name of someone you want to honor. The money supports the pathway and the future Adaptive Recreation Center. The window to buy a brick is open only until the park is finished, so anyone who wants one in the path should order soon through the foundation's brick page.

Go this month: Adaptive Beach Day, October 18

You do not have to wait for the path to see what it is for. The foundation's Adaptive Beach Days run on the third Sunday of each month through November, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 6475 Collins Avenue. The next ones are Sunday, October 18, and Sunday, November 15.

Participants get a platform of decks and mats over the sand, beach wheelchairs, and trained staff and volunteers. Activities include ocean and aqua therapy, adaptive surfing and water sports, art therapy, and chair yoga and meditation. Registration is required, through the Adaptive Beach Days page, and on-site parking is first come, first served.

If you are bringing someone for the first time, register early, arrive near the start of your time slot, and pack sunscreen, water and a change of clothes. The equipment and the trained help are on site; your job is to enjoy the ocean.

Volunteers are welcome too, in shifts from 8 to 11 a.m., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., or 3 to 5 p.m. If you have a free Sunday morning and strong arms, there are few better ways to spend it on Collins Avenue.