Five country beaches will be equipped with floating wheelchairs, thanks to a partnership between a group of physical therapy students at Franklin Pierce University and SMILE Mass..

Olney is a doctoral student and on the board of the physical therapy association for Franklin Pierce students.”We all wanted to do a course project. When I met Lotte, her fire just exuded. I have a 7-year-old daughter that thought the seat was really, really cool. So I spoke to Lotte just a little bit and I said, ‘How many of these chairs are in New Hampshire, and she said, ‘None,’ and I was like, none? That is not OK,” Olney said.

Olney presented the concept of creating the beaches more accessible to her group members, and with the help of SMILE Mass, the group raised nearly $11,000 to buy the wheelchairs within a month.During a dedication ceremony Thursday morning, Diomede, who lives in Sudbury, Mass., told the crowd about their mission to bring the joy of the beach to individuals with disabilities. Her teenaged son, Nicholas, was born with hydrocephaly, and was in a wheelchair his entire life. Diomede said she discovered that floating wheelchairs allowed Nicholas, 16, the liberty of enjoying the shore like anyone else.

She showed Gov. Chris Sununu one of the seats, and pointed out their safety features. Sununu was impressed with the partnership created by the pupils and nonprofit organization. He said bringing recreational opportunities to the disabled is something close to his heart.

In Waterville Valley, they have the most adaptive ski program in New England, and they are the home of the Special Olympics, Sununu said.

Sununu said technology is changing the lives of those with disabilities daily.”The technology we have at our fingertips now, to provide recreational access for everyone, for whatever you need to do. I’ve seen paraplegics golfing on an 18-hole class, things you wouldn’t believe due to the technology. I’ve seen them windsurfing, parasailing. We have gotten to the point where there really is nothing that should hold any of us back from making sure everyone has the same chance. And that’s the one thing I think government should provide, equal opportunity in whatever we do.”Three of those floating wheelchairs will be on Seacoast state beaches”.

So far, SMILE Mass has been able to get 120 floating wheelchairs to public beaches.