DAUFUSKIE ISLAND, S.C. () — When you live on Daufuskie Island, you have to use the ferry to get pretty much anywhere you might need to go.

However, some residents with disabilities say it’s been an issue for them just to get on and off the boat.

“I know people that can’t come home because they’re in wheelchairs, that are getting ready to have surgery, need help, and fixing a ramp doesn’t work when I can’t take these crutches over that doorstep,” Ashley Hollingsworth, a Daufuskie Island resident, said.

Lowcountry Ferry is the company that operates the ferry system to and from Daufuskie.

They say they recognize that residents have complained, and they’re working to address some of those issues.

When took the ferry, we saw that they were implementing solutions like bringing golf carts and portable ramps to the docks to help residents onto the boats.

However, one resident says she wishes they would have asked people who live there about their needs before they began with this new contract.

Friday was her first time back on the ferry after major surgery.

“They’re trying, all of these things should have been thought about prior to the contract being signed. I can’t go home. This is the first time I’ve been home in a month,” she said.

Others on the island say they see the need too, especially in a community where people go out of their way to look out for one another.

“We value our locals. We have a very strong, tight-knit community here. So, making sure those people get that type of service is very important to everybody here,” Kade Yarborough, Chairman of the 2024 Daufuskie Island Council, said.

Hollingsworth acknowledged the improvements but wants to make sure that standard is maintained.

“They did a great job today. Someone was there with a golf cart, and I hope it shows what Lowcountry Ferry Service is willing to offer everybody else,” she said.

She says those who ride the ferry like her are the ones who have helped her navigate through these challenges the most.

“It’s the best community you could ever ask for, and community is what’s getting me through this knee.”

Locals tell me that while there is still room for improvement, they believe it will come with time.

“This is all very new, the ferry was just established on the fifteenth of January, 2024. So, all of these things are new, ongoing issues, so we’re trying to solve them one at a time,” Yarborough said.

Beaufort County says that they are continuously working with Lowcountry Ferry to address residents’ concerns.