Portable Wheelchair Ramp

[Landis02]

My PALS now has a power wheelchair and a conversion van. Any advice on portable ramps in case we go somewhere that has steps (eg friends house)? I have his manual wheelchair stowed in the van but maybe it would be easier if we had a set of portable ramps. What length ramp would accommodate most situations?

Lee

 

[Nikki J]

We had a metal expandable set. I don’t remember how long they were when extended. Quite long because the steps of the place we mostly used them were quite high ( maybe 6 or 8 steps). You could look at ada guidelines to get an idea of how long for the highest steps of the private places you would visit. Most public places have to have ramps and if they somehow don’t they probably really can’t accommodate them. I have found I sometimes have to search a bit for the ramp location

You should check weight tolerances too because all of the people who used our ramp were tiny and in non pwc so I am not sure whether they would work for a pwc. Good luck

 

[lgelb]

Yes, the issue is often PWC + user weight, even with a good ramp, and sometimes running room at speed on a steep slope. Every ramp should have a weight rating and at some sites like SpinLife you can filter on total weight limit. I would have a contingency for outdoor or "meet somewhere else" visits.

I would look at your "worst" desired meeting place and work backward from there. Everyone's city is different. Watch also for any entrances that require sharp turns, because rejiggering a turn from the ramp itself may not be an option as it would be if you were on a level floor.