Unique wheelchairs allow more youth to enjoy Olathe’s pools and lake
Thanks to a grant from Variety KC, more youth will be able to enjoy Olathe’s pools this year. The city recently purchased water wheelchairs for all of its pools, as well as for Lake Olathe.
“We felt this was a great way to get more people out and about and enjoying the pool and the water,” said Marc Harrell, chief inclusion officer for Variety KC.
Variety KC, a local non-profit, focuses on supporting programs and technology that allow children with physical and cognitive disabilities to take part in activities. It has also helped families get necessary medical equipment.
Olathe Community Center’s pool has one available already, but by Memorial Day, Black Bob Bay, Frontier Pool, Mill Creek Pool, Oregon Trail Pool and Lake Olathe’s beach area will each have one, too.
The pools have zero-depth roll-in entry points for water wheelchair users to get access. The chairs will be available on a first come, first served basis.
“We hope that it’s a very popular item. We want to be as inclusive as we can be at our facilities and see if we need to make additional requests to Variety KC,” said Cody Kennedy, Olathe’s chief communications and marketing officer.
The organization has partnered with the city of Olathe to provide other accessible equipment in the past.
Although Variety KC’s focus is children, the 18-inch-wide seat on these water wheelchairs can also accommodate adults.
Olathe applied for and received a community grant from Variety KC to fund the entire project. The price tag for five pool chairs and the beach chair was $6,745. Also part of the grant was a Mobi-Mat walkway that allows wheelchairs, walkers and strollers to easily access the newer pavilion at Lake Olathe.
Since its reopening in 2020, Lake Olathe has had a Mobi-Mat providing access to the lakefront. That one will also allow the new beach water wheelchair to roll to enter the water.
Most wheelchairs, in particular power wheelchairs, shouldn’t get significantly wet, which can mean people using those devices get excluded from pool-based activities. The water wheelchairs are different.
“It’s a specialized chair with wheels designed for use in and around water,” Harrell said.
That means they’re good for pools, splash pads and other wet environments.
“It’s specifically designed so that it wouldn’t get corroded and wouldn’t have any rust,” Harrell said.
Users can wheel through the shallow end of the pool just like they would on land: backward, forward and side to side. The only limitation is the depth of the water, as the wheels do have to stay in contact with the bottom of the pool.
“Variety KC just wants to make sure any activity that a typical child would participate in that there are options and opportunities for them to participate with some extra equipment and extra thought,” Harrell said.
It’s not just about physically getting in the pool — it’s about being part of the social situations that come with it.
“When it comes to hot summers here in the Midwest, every child wants to be able get wet, get in the pool, and enjoy that time with other kids, friends, adults, babysitters — whoever their community is,” said Harrell. “This is just breaking down another barrier that would prevent a child from being able to participate. It allows a child to get off the sidelines and into the pool with their other friends.”
You don’t have to be a wheelchair user to use a water wheelchair. They’re for anyone using a mobility device to get around who wouldn’t otherwise be able to get into the pool.
“With aquatic wheelchairs, the usable pool area for anybody of all abilities has really opened up,” Kennedy said.
Other pool facilities in the community, such as Overland Park’s Matt Ross Community Center, also provide water wheelchairs for on-site use.
Olathe’s are the only ones provided by Variety KC, though Harrell said the organization is happy to answer questions for any city, organization or business that is looking to make a facility more accessible.
This story was originally published April 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM.