Wheelchair Ramp Articles

Unless you absolutely know for certain what you need, your estimate will be too short and too steep.
When people estimate how long their ramp needs to be, they always guess too short. This makes the slope too steep. Even if they can get the patient up the ramp, it is easy to lose control of the wheel chair going down. An average adult with no physical issues can push an average weight patient of 160 pounds up a slope using this formula. The height in inches divided by 2 equals the length needed for the ramp. The ADA recommendation should be used for heavy patients or caregivers with limited strength. This is height in inches divided by one.

 

The ADA Guidelines are for commercial ‘public space’ use.
ADA guidelines are usually not required for residential use.  When a ramp is not permanently attached to the home, meeting ADA guidelines are almost never required because these ramps designs are classified as temporary.

 

You can purchase ramp kits as an inexpensive solution.
Your choices of obtaining a ramp are buying an aluminum ramp, having a contractor build a ramp or purchasing a ramp kit. The first two options are self-explanatory. The kit ramps require only minimal DIY skills and can be built by a relative, neighbor, handyman, or service organization. A ‘kit’ is available online with the brackets and instructions. You purchase the wood and bolts at a home center store. A single section ramp can be built in 2 hours up to 16’ long that is safe and very sturdy. Handrails can be added if desired.

 

If you are building a wood ramp you should NEVER use treated wood for the ramp deck surface.
Treated wood has a preservative inserted into the wood fibers under pressure. This makes the wood surface greasy and needs several months of outside weathering to allow a surface treatment to be applied. Untreated wood provides natural traction and can be used immediately. If the ramp is exposed to the weather, a grit paint can be used to provide traction when the wood is wet.

 

Aluminum ramps that are visible from the street should always be taken down overnight.
The scrap value of aluminum is high. Even in very nice neighborhoods, if an aluminum ramp is left in place long enough, it will be stolen.

Did you know that about 50% of the homes in the U.S. do not have enough space for a wheelchair ramp? There are many home situations where the steps are too high for the appropriate length ramp. Here is how to determine if you or someone you know doesn’t have enough space. A middle-aged caregiver in good health and no infirmities can push a 150-160 lb person up a ramp using this formula: Take the height of the steps in inches and divide by 2. This will determine the length of ramp you will need in feet. Plus, you need 5 feet of space at the bottom if you require making a 90-degree turn onto a ramp. If the caregiver is weak or frail or the patient is heavier than average, the length of the ramp required will need to be 50% to 100% longer. This is not a government requirement, but it adheres to the law of physics. If the ramp is too short, the slope is too steep. This means the caregiver doesn’t have the strength to get the patient up or down the ramp safely. The ADA recommendation (only required for commercial public access) is a 1:1 ratio of inches of ramp = ramp length in feet. 

Don’t panic yet, here are four alternative solutions to address situations where there is not enough space:

#1.  If the space you have is relatively close to the length of ramp you need, then this is the best and least expensive solution. Get a length of strong rope about 10 feet longer than the ramp. Loop the rope through the wheelchair where the tubular frame at the front turns down (below the arm rests). Tie a knot that will not come loose under pressure. Now you can have one person standing at the top of the ramp pulling, while the second person is at the bottom pushing the wheelchair from behind as normal. It is even possible to have two or more people pulling from the top like in the children’s game ‘tug of war.’ NOTE: People at the top need to wear gloves for gripping.

#2.  Rent, Borrow or Buy an Evacuation Chair. This is a chair that firemen use to carry people up or down stairs in emergencies. Any medical facility that is more than one story will have these. You may be able borrow one or get information on a store that sells Emergency Medical Equipment to rent one. You can also go online to buy one on Amazon, Ebay or used.forsale (see #4 solution for details). This is a chair that has four handles attached to a chair that has a seatbelt. Two strong people carry the patient up or down stairs.

#3.  Rent an Electric Mobility Chair/Scooter. Budget number is $300-$400/mo. Make sure the chair can climb the slope you have on the ramp. Go to www.cleavebooks.co.uk to find a 'right-angle triangle calculator.' You can fill in the boxes of the length of the ramp, which is Side E (the hypotenuse is the ramp) and the height of the steps, which is Side A. Both measurements are in inches. The calculator will provide the angle of the slope in degrees. Then give the mobility store the patient’s weight and degree of slope in order to price the appropriate chair.

#4.  Buy an Electric Stair Climber Chair (stair chair). This is like an evac chair, but it only requires one operator and has treads on the rear. It also has an electric motor that carries the patient up and down the stairs. This is appropriate when you need a permanent solution. Do a Google search for ’electric stair climber chair’ to locate these or go to the website used.forsale (.forsale is like .com). They will display new and used electric stair chairs. If buying used, verify that the batteries are new. YouTube has plenty of videos demonstrating the use of stair climbers.

Going down a ramp slope is dangerous due to the inability of the caregiver to control the weight of the wheel chair. Consequently, a ramp that is too steep is unusable. So never guess at a ramp length.

 

An ADA recommendation for a ramp slope only considers the height of the steps to calculate the slope. Yet, the weight of the patient and strength of the caregiver pushing the wheel chair are also very significant factors. Therefore, these situations need to be considered when calculating the slope.

 

Consequently, the correct ramp slope lies somewhere between these two extremes:

• The ADA recommendation of 1” of height equals 12” of ramp length or 5 degrees. This applies to extremely heavy patients or frail caregivers.
• The common residential guideline is 10 degrees. The formula is height in inches divided by 2 equals the minimal length of ramp in feet. This ramp slope is used for an average weight patient (150lbs) and a healthy adult caregiver.

Once you calculate the ramp slope and length, there is one more step. Due to the available space dimensions, the total ramp length must fit within this area. So, the ramp may be straight, ‘L’ shaped or ‘U’ shaped. Right-angle turns require a 5’ x 5’ space for the wheel chair and caregiver

 

Wheelchair Ramps provides this free service 7 days/wk, 9am – 7pm CST. I ask the right questions to advise the correct ramp slope and length for your situation. Your name or address will not be asked. So, take advantage of talking with a ramp expert at no obligation or cost. To obtain your correct ramp slope, call 913-553-1488.