People with disabilities reached the surf Sunday at the Sabrina Cohen Foundation's monthly Adaptive Beach Day on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach.

The foundation, which has hosted the pop-up beach days near Beach View Park since 2016, is now raising money for what it calls the nation's first permanent adaptive recreation center. The center would be built at Beach View Park, 5301 Collins Ave., according to a city news release issued Friday.

Monthly event offers rare beach access

Dr. Susan Solman, a participant who lives near Miami Beach, said the monthly event is her only way to reach the water. "This is the greatest day, always, of my life when I get to come to the beach day," Solman told WSVN. She added that a permanent facility would let her access the beach every day.

Commemorative bricks fund an accessible beach path

The foundation's Pathway of Inclusion campaign sells personalized commemorative bricks for $500 each to fund what would be the first permanent paver path on a Miami Beach public beach that meets Americans with Disabilities Act standards. Each brick can be engraved with a donor's name, a family name or the name of someone the buyer wants to honor. Proceeds also support construction of the recreation center.

Foundation founder Sabrina Cohen, who uses a wheelchair, said in Friday's news release that the brick program "will pay for generations of disabled members of our community to enjoy a day at the beach for many years to come."

Park upgrades and upcoming beach days

Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner said in the same release that the Beach View Park improvements "will make our beach and park safer, more welcoming and accessible for residents and families of all abilities." Park enhancements, including new playground equipment, exercise equipment, pathways and landscaping, are expected to be finished by the end of 2026. The park is closed during construction.

The city of Miami Beach said on X that the program provides trained staff, volunteers, access decks, beach wheelchairs and other adaptive equipment. The Miami Beach City Commission passed a resolution in October 2021 urging Congress and the Florida Legislature to fund the project.

The next Adaptive Beach Days are from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 18 and Nov. 15 at 6475 Collins Ave.