Wheelchair Ramps

Wheelchair ramps are more prevalent today because of new standards of accessibility being applied to building construction.

It's all about accessibility.  Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a system is usable by as many people as possible without modification.  It is not to be confused with usability which is used to describe how easily a thing can be used by any type of user.

One meaning of accessibility specifically focuses on people with disabilities and their use of assistive devices such as wheelchair ramps.  Accessibility is strongly related to universal design in that it is about making things as accessible as possible to as wide a group of people as possible.

Wheel chair users are less disabled in an environment without stairs so it has become necessary to add wheelchair ramps to permit people in wheelchairs to use a particular building.

Wheelchair Ramps must be carefully designed in order to be useful to the user and many jurisdictions have established standards for wheelchair ramps.  For example, they may specify the minimum width of a wheelchair ramp is 36 inches  and the slope must not be steeper than 1 inch of rise for every 12 inches of length.

Commonsense must prevail when constructing wheelchair ramps in relation to the slope.  The lesser the steepness, the easier it is for the user.  It may be okay for those in powered chairs but what about those in manual chairs, a bit difficult for them to get up a steep ramp without assistance. I would think that wheelchair assistants would be huffing and puffing when trying to push a wheelchair up a steep slope. Many buildings now construct a ramp that circles a number of times like a figure eight to make accessibility easier.

Wheelchair Ramps come in a number of varieties, permanent, semi-permanent and portable, each intended for a different purpose. Permanent wheelchair ramps are designed to be bolted or cemented in place.  Semi-permanent wheelchair ramps rest on top of the ground or cement pad and are used only in the short term.

Portable wheelchair ramps are a lot more prevalent than I had thought.  They are made in such a way that they are durable and lightweight.  Some of them even fold up, just like a suitcase, for super easy transport.  What a fantastic innovation and so easy to keep in the trunk of your car. 

Portable wheelchair ramps can be purchased but also rented.  I had actually never thought of renting something like that.  I thought that the only way you could get wheelchair ramps was to buy them or build them.  Renting wheelchair ramps is a great way to solve temporary mobility issues.

Conquering The Final Frontier