Paraplegic woman creates a non-profit charter service for people with disabilities

Deborah Mellen suffered from a spinal cord injury after a car accident but this did not stop her passion for sailing. She purchased a custom-made, universally accessible catamaran, the Impossible Dream and founded a no-profit organisation offering charter services to those who, like her, have mobility issues.

The Impossible Dream is a carbon fibre catamaran of 17 meters, specifically built for persons with disabilities. The original owner, Mike Browne, is a paraplegic, who sailed the Mediterranean and the Atlantic multiple times. The catamaran was designed by Nick Baily and built by Multi-Marine in 2002.

The catamaran has lifts in both hulls to allow wheelchair users to access all amenities and has two wheelchair-accessible bathrooms. To access the boat, there is an adjustable footbridge. In the bridge deck area, there are no steps or door thresholds to allow maneuvering. “The conventional idea is that additional accessibility features take away from the beauty of something. In this case, our increased accessibility actually makes the boat more beautiful. It shows people that accessibility shouldn’t be an afterthought,” Deborah said.

Through the Impossible Dream, Deborah and the crew are raising awareness of accessibility issues. “We want to get people who are disabled and may be marginalized in their community out on the water; it is a very special experience,” Deborah said.

Adapted from: https://www.mvtimes.com/2019/07/30/impossible-dream-allows-disabilities-...

More information: https://www.theimpossibledream.org/
https://vimeo.com/300283790