| Wheelchairs make great 2 dimensional transportation: | | | | the slope or the rise) in order to ensure the safety of |
| they move back and forth and left and right very | | | | the user. If you are having yours built, be sure to |
| easily… as well, the turning radius on a | | | | request traction tape or sand paint to be applied to the |
| wheelchair has markedly improved over the past few | | | | surface so that you can be sure you'll be safe when it |
| decades making wheelchairs much more able to get | | | | is snowy, icy, or wet on the ramp. |
| into and out of tight spaces. Today, the final frontier in | | | | Of course, these ramps in the above paragraph are |
| wheelchair accessibility is making the wheelchair easy | | | | permanent. An alternative for some people is to get a |
| to move from one level to another…up and | | | | portable ramp they can take with them wherever they |
| down. Do you need to move your wheelchair from | | | | go. There aren't many truly portable ramps (that can |
| one height to another? You have a few options, which | | | | be easily carried by someone in a wheelchair and |
| we've outlined below. | | | | placed on the ground in front of them) but there are |
| A lift is one way to move your wheelchair from the | | | | ramps that – if you have an assistant – |
| ground into or onto a vehicle. Lifts can be attached | | | | the ramp can be put in the car and taken out when |
| internally or externally. Often, they attach to the | | | | necessary. This is the perfect solution for when you |
| wheelchair and pick it up off the ground; Sometimes | | | | go to stores or commercial buildings that are not well |
| they use a hook method and other times they use a | | | | designed for wheelchairs. |
| platform method. For example, on an external hitch | | | | Another way to get from one level to another, if the |
| (which hooks into the trailer hitch of your car), you | | | | level is not too big, is to simply use brute rolling force |
| simply drive your wheelchair onto the platform and | | | | and a little balance. Most wheelchairs actually come |
| then get off the wheelchair and raise the platform. | | | | with six wheels on them: four primary wheels for the |
| Obviously, this type of lift is for users who do not need | | | | main purpose of motion and two extra |
| to be in the chair all the time or who have someone to | | | | wheels…on some wheelchairs they are in the |
| assist them. An internal lift may work as a hook | | | | back and act as supports for when you tip |
| (without the user in the chair) or as a platform (with the | | | | backwards; on other wheelchairs they are on the front |
| user in the chair), lifting them into the vehicle. | | | | and act as "climbers" for when you approach a curb |
| Wheelchair ramps are another way of getting from | | | | and need to get over. |
| one level to another. They can be designed from | | | | We're not yet at a place where a wheelchair can go |
| metal or wood. Often, the metal ones are purchased | | | | where anyone else can go…but we're getting |
| and although you can purchase a wood one, they are | | | | there slowly. Until then, here are a few ways to get |
| often built right onto the house as a do it yourself | | | | your wheelchair from point A to a point higher or |
| project. Municipalities often have recommendations for | | | | lower! |
| the height and length ratio (which is sometimes called | | | | |