Releasing turtles for people with disabilities, a not-so-distant utopia.

For: @monytodoterreno

For months I have wanted to release turtles with my nephews; It was one of my favorite experiences in Guerrero and I wanted to repeat it now with my other nephews, so I started looking for options where it would be easier for me to do this activity in a wheelchair.

In my vacation plan in Oaxaca the options were:

Go to Playa La Entrega in Huatulco, which is an inclusive beach and would help me a lot with the wheelchair issue (without releasing turtles) or go to Puerto Escondido where they do have this type of activities.

The decision was basically based on going where I can move or going where I can do what I want, although I know that in this last option I am uncertain whether I will be able to use the wheelchair; I followed my heart and energy and ventured to release the turtles. I was encouraged because I was going with my sister, nephews and my parents who were key support in achieving it.

One of the things I considered when planning the trip was that the place be close to the airport, find a hotel with an entrance without steps, a room on the ground floor and a bathroom where the chair can fit.

Finding a hotel was not so easy, after a long search we stayed at @hotelcareyespuerto Since I contacted them on WhatsApp, they were friendly and with the intention of providing support, they sent me photos of the accesses and made sure to give me a room with a barrier-free bathroom.

We were in Puerto for 4 days, I wanted to see for myself if it was possible to visit some of its beaches. When going with the children, the options were Puerto Angelito beach and Playa Principal, which during the week and in the morning there are not so many people.

Regarding the chair, it was possible to get to these beaches by walking/rolling, since the path is a paved street and with access very close to the beach. I returned to the hotel by taxi since I was already tired and had some climbs. We would order the chair in some shady restaurant where the street ended and the sand began, from there my dad would carry me, I couldn’t go alone with my hands because the sand was very hot.

It is worth mentioning that although they were possible for me to visit, these are not inclusive beaches that have walkways or amphibious chairs, nor with assistance or tactile paths or signs in Braille.

After that context, now we go directly to what we came to, the release of turtles.

We did this activity in Playa Bacocho, from the hotel to the turtle camp it was 10 minutes by taxi.

The camp is very close to the beach and the avenue where the taxi drops you off, however, from then on I required the support of my family.

A wooden path would make this experience very easy, the distances from the street to the sand and the camp are short, in fact I will write to the place to propose a path, since I consider that it is very possible to make it a reality. In itself, Bacocho beach is not suitable for making it an inclusive beach, where areas with calm waters are considered to be able to enter. Bacocho is open sea and the waves are strong, which is why they are considered beaches for surfing, but the activity of releasing turtles can be made inclusive, even for deaf people with explanations in Mexican Sign Language.

At sunset in @vivemar_ong They gave us a talk where they explained the characteristics and life cycle of sea turtles.

Here 4 of the 7 species that arrive in Mexico are released:

The Olive Ridley, Green, Leatherback and Hawksbill turtles. All in danger of extinction, the last two in critical condition.

For the activity I moved with my hands towards the release point, the advantage was that the sand was no longer hot.

After the release, a child from the association (the only one authorized to be near the turtles) throws sand at the birds that stalk them. Despite the efforts, many are captured, however, as the sea turtles return to the exact place where they were born to reproduce and lay their eggs, the hatchlings must make their own way through the sand and orient themselves with the Earth’s magnetic field.

It was a very nice experience and I think it is important that these types of activities are available to people with and without disabilities, above all I mean that we can choose what to do and not just limit ourselves to a single activity because it is the uniquely inclusive, that is why I share this writing that although on this occasion it does not describe an inclusive place, I share information about the hotel and ways that it is not so common to read on the internet for those of us who use a wheelchair.

Before finishing, I would like to mention that the release of turtles must be done by institutions that comply with the necessary care, the turtles must not be touched or held, since they need that energy (swimming frenzy) to reach the sea and survive the first few. days until feeding.

It is estimated that one in every thousand turtles born reach adulthood. Due to their critical state of extinction, the protection and conservation of the species is important because their role in our ecosystems is vital.

If you have a disability or have a friend or family member, share with us tips on activities and how you do them. Personally, it encourages me a lot to find this type of information to go see a new place.