\ud83c\udfd6\ufe0f Long Branch nonprofit is breaking barriers by helping people with disabilities gain full access to NJ beaches\u267f Moceans Center for Independent Living empowers residents with disabilities through housing help, transportation resources, peer support, and advocacy programs\ud83c\udfb6 Moceans\u2019 free Beach Bash returns May 31 at Pier Village<\/p>\n
LONG BRANCH<\/a> \u2014 Monmouth County nonprofit, Moceans Center for Independent Living<\/a>, is dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities. But this facility is different from other independent living-like organizations around.<\/p>\n \u201cOur mission is to facilitate community living for people with disabilities. That means people with any disability, at any time in life. That\u2019s a little different for a lot of disability centered organizations,\u201d said Moceans Executive Director Judyth Brown.<\/p>\n Moceans Annual Beach Bash in Long Branch (Judyth Brown via Moceans)<\/p>\n Moceans Annual Beach Bash in Long Branch (Judyth Brown via Moceans)Long Branch nonprofit helps people with disabilities live independently<\/p>\n The foundation of the Long Branch-based nonprofit is community-accessible and community-directed, meaning those living with disabilities dictate what the organization does, Brown said.<\/p>\n For example, \u201cour mission tends to be for youth, it\u2019s focused on pre-employment training, and for other people, we do support coordination,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n ALSO READ: NJ Goal Zero Initiatives to honor fallen officers in May and June<\/a><\/p>\n Moceans also has an independent living department that handles everything else, whether it\u2019s a need for transportation or housing, figuring out how to apply for benefits, how to find educational resources, parents and caregivers support groups, and peer-to-peer work, as well, Brown explained.<\/p>\n They have projects like \u201cphone-a-friend\u201d for people who are primarily homebound. Moceans will call them twice a month to see how they\u2019re doing and chat. This helps cut down on isolation, Brown said.<\/p>\n Moceans also helps with activism and support in solving problems that might have a legal foundation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t offer legal advice, but we will help people to find the representation they need and stand by them as they go through a process,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n Moceans Annual Beach Bash in Long Branch (Judyth Brown via Moceans)<\/p>\n Moceans Annual Beach Bash in Long Branch (Judyth Brown via Moceans)Inclusive NJ beach access inspires annual Beach Bash event<\/p>\n On May 31, Moceans Center for Independent Living will be holding its Annual Beach Bash from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Pier Village by the Carousel in Long Branch.<\/p>\n The free, family-friendly event highlights the importance of inclusive beach access.<\/p>\n About five years ago, Brown said a board member approached her expressing the need for a beach party. Initially, Brown was not on board with the idea because she felt it would be difficult for people with disabilities, particularly those with mobility challenges, to access the beach.<\/p>\n \u201cI realized we needed to do something about that. So, with the help of the City of Long Branch, we did our first Beach Bash, and we rolled down to the water\u2019s edge on blue mats,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n Local Long Branch officials attended the Beach Bash and realized the community had something special to offer, Brown added.<\/p>\n Moceans Annual Beach Bash in Long Branch (Judyth Brown via Moceans)<\/p>\n Moceans Annual Beach Bash in Long Branch (Judyth Brown via Moceans)Accessible beach features in Long Branch changing lives for families<\/p>\n \u201cThey went out and bought something different. They bought hard decking instead of the blue mats that everybody is used to. That hard decking allows people with mobility devices to literally get down on the beach,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n The City of Long Branch went even further. Brown said they bought floatation chairs for anyone who can get out of a wheelchair. They even trained their lifeguards to help people get into the water.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve been an amazing partner,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n The Beach Bash is really about gaining access to the beach for everyone. Whether you\u2019re in a wheelchair, on a scooter, or use a cane or crutches, it doesn\u2019t matter. They can get down on the beach, and it improves everyone\u2019s life by bringing everyone in the family down to the beach, she added.<\/p>\n The event will feature live bands, fully accessible beachfront activities, interactive games for all ages, community and accessibility awareness demonstrations, lifeguard demos, and more.<\/p>\n Moceans Annual Beach Bash in Long Branch (Judyth Brown via Moceans)<\/p>\n Moceans Annual Beach Bash in Long Branch (Judyth Brown via Moceans)Moceans hopes to expand accessible beach programs across New Jersey<\/p>\n The goal is to have access to the beach for every person every single day in the summer, Brown said.<\/p>\n Brown said she would love to extend the program to other beaches in New Jersey and is currently looking for partnerships to make this happen.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re here to help make a better life for everyone,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n For more information on Moceans, their mission, and the Beach Bash, visit here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Report a correction<\/a> \ud83d\udc48 | \ud83d\udc49 Contact our newsroom<\/a><\/p>\n New Jersey Lottery 18 “Top Dogs” for “Jersey Dog” Scratch-Off Tickets <\/p>\n These are the 18 dogs chosen from across the state that are being featured on the New Jersey Lottery’s “Top Dogs” for “Jersey Shore” Scratch-Off tickets, available starting May 4.<\/p>\n Gallery Credit: Jen Ursillo <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\ud83c\udfd6\ufe0f Long Branch nonprofit is breaking barriers by helping people with disabilities gain full access to NJ beaches\u267f…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":312280,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[131,133,132,12456,12459],"class_list":["post-312279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-new-jersey-news","tag-ultimate-new-jersey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=312279"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312279\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/312280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=312279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=312279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=312279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}