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Boating
for those impaired
What
do you do if you love the water, but are paralyzed and
can’t enjoy boating? Gary Melton may have the answer.
Wanting
to help the mobility impaired, Melton began to design
wheelchair-accessible yachts. Last year, Melton helped
found Intracoastal Yachts in Virginia Beach with Paul
A. Galloway to custom-make boats for those with special
requirements. “Many of the boats that you see on
the market aren’t close to accessible,” he
says. “They’re multi-level floor plans and
the doors aren’t wide enough.”
Melton
ought to know. In 1981, Melton, then 21, was in a car
accident that left him paralyzed and in a wheelchair.
He had his own auto-detailing business and was in a
quandary of what to do next. At that time, his only
knowledge of someone in a wheelchair was Raymond Burr
of “Ironside” fame. “I had this vision
of someone always driving me around in a bread truck,”
Melton recalls.
After
his accident, doctors predicted that he would spend
between six and nine months in the hospital rehabilitating.
But a determined Melton was home in five and a half
weeks. Not one to wallow in self-pity, Melton decided
he could parlay his current business into an opportunity
to help other people who were mobility impaired. “I
felt I had to do something,” he says.
He
converted his business into Paradept Services Inc. of
Virginia Beach. His experience in van conversions and
automobile restoration led him to design and build transportation
for individuals with mobility impairments. Since Melton
already had an auto shop, the transition was easy.
Still,
Melton thought there was more to be done and he started
thinking of moving beyond land vehicles to the sea.
So, in 1994, he founded Paradocks Inc., a nonprofit
organization that offers complimentary rides on his
boats to those with mobility impairments. Paradocks
is funded by Melton and his other businesses, including
Paradept Services and Intracoastal Yachts.
Melton’s
boats offer a flat floor throughout, an accessible head
with a five-foot turning radius, a modified galley and
an elevator to the top deck. While designed for full
mobility, Melton observes that his boats are “not
just the handicap boat.” Paradocks works closely
with retirement communities and nursing homes to add
boating to the lives of the elderly. All passengers
coming aboard are asked to bring friends, family and
caregivers. “Imagine the dignity it gives back
to say, ‘I’m taking you boating this weekend,’”
says Melton.
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Nicole McMullin
Return
to Virginia Business - September 2002
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