The South Haven Visitors Bureau is announcing two new initiatives aimed at enhancing accessibility for visitors with disabilities.

Visitors Bureau Director Jennifer Sistrunk tells us that this year, the organization has committed $130,000—thanks to contributions from visitors—toward accessibility improvements in South Haven, Van Buren County, and Casco Township.

“We get a lot of inquiries about different things and we get a lot of them about accessibility, how can they get on the beaches, do different organizations or places have different amenities,” Sistrunk says. “We’ve just heard a lot of people that were not really thrilled with the options that we have. And so just anecdotally by speaking to people and understanding what’s available and what isn’t, we’re very confident that this will help change some of those preconceived notions that we are not an accessible community.”

To launch this new community initiative, the Bureau has established an Accessibility Grant Program for nonprofit organizations. 

“We know that their resources are limited, and we want to do what we can to help them be a little bit more accessible as well,” Sistrunk says. “We’d like to see a little bit of investment on their end, so that’s why we’re doing the matching dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000 for those that are feeling passionate about accessibility.”

Additionally, the Bureau is donating two new beach wheelchairs to the city of South Haven,  which will be available for use at the South Beach. Visitors will be able to reserve these wheelchairs at no cost.

Sistrunk emphasizes that this is just the beginning of their efforts to raise awareness about accessibility in South Haven, and they hope to make further improvements within the city to enhance the experience for everyone.