Utilities and Choices for the Best Ramps

A disabled access ramp is a passage that allows people in wheelchairs to cross stairs or a sidewalk as easily as possible.There are two types of solution, the fixed ramp which will always remain in place and the removable ramp which is used when necessary and can be removed after the passage of people in wheelchairs. Here is everything you need to know about access ramps for the disabled.

For the home, if the handicap is definitive, then the installation of fixed ramps in all areas with difficult steps or passages will probably be essential to have optimal autonomy. The advantage of this type of installation is that it is very solid, and that once in place there is no need to touch anything. At your home, no authorization is required. It will simply be necessary to request an authorization for the entry of the house, if it is in a public space. A fixed ada wheelchair ramp often requires significant work and a relatively high cost.

As its name suggests, it is posed but it can be removed at any time. This is obviously a good choice when living in a rental house. We will not do work to transform the house when we may not stay there very long. The removable ramp also makes it possible not to denature a space by installing a fixed ramp which would not necessarily be aesthetic.

However, this is not necessarily practical since a third party must necessarily install the ramp for the person in a wheelchair, then put it away after it has passed, or when necessary. We know that this type of maneuver can be frustrating for the person in a wheelchair, who may have the impression of not having enough autonomy, or even disturbing.

That said, the removable ramp can be used in a fixed manner, leaving it in place almost all the time, and only removing it when there is no other choice. This will be the cheapest solution.

Obviously, you cannot do just anything and there are therefore standards that must absolutely be respected so that the ramp is not dangerous for the user. The standards are very strict in terms of width, slope and maximum weight supported, in any case for establishments open to the public, such as schools, administrations, hospitals, shops, etc. In order to allow total autonomy for the wheelchair user, here are the degrees of slope to be observed:

• 5% without limitation of length if no architectural constraint prevents it. The ramp will then be 3.20 m long for a step of 16 cm.

• 7% for a maximum length of 5 m. The ramp will then be 2.28 m long for a step of 16 cm.

• 8% for a maximum length of 2 m. The ramp will then be 2 m long for a step of 16 cm.

• 12% for a length less than 0.5 m. In this case, the step or the crossing height must not exceed 6 cm for a 50 cm ramp.

Unfortunately, these standards are so strict that it is not always possible to carry out this type of work. It is therefore not forbidden to have steeper slopes, but the person in a wheelchair will generally require the help of a third person to climb to the top of the step or a few steps.