Factors To Consider For Wheelchair Ramp Plans
- When dealing with wheelchair ramp plans, there are some major factors to take into consideration. After all, the ramp for your wheel chair must meet certain specifications, or you may find yourself with a ramp that is entirely inaccessible for your wheelchair or scooter. If you are planning on building your own wheel chair ramp, you must first carefully study the requirements and plan the ramp design so that this doesn't happen to you.
- If you are building a ramp for a manual wheeled chair, you should not make the rise more than 1 inch for every 12 inches of length. Otherwise, the incline would be so steep that it would be difficult to manage the chair and it may careen out of control. On the other hand, if you plan to build a ramp for an electric wheel chair, you should make the rise 1 ½ inches for every 12 inches of length.
- The absolute minimum width for your wheel chair ramp should be 36 inches. But, when drawing up your plans for the ramp, you should try to make it 48 inches if you have the room. In addition to these widths, your plan for the wheeled chair ramp should include at least 2 inches of a lip to keep the chair on wheels from slipping off of the edge.
- In your ramp plans, be sure to fashion the end of the ramp (where it meets the ground) so that the wheel chair will be able to go over it smoothly. You don't want the scooter to bump and jar the person in the electronic chair needlessly.
- Finally, at the top of the ramp, there should be a landing that will allow the person in the wheelchair to plan for getting in and out of the wheelchair, or maneuvering it. This platform should be at least 5 feet by 5 feet. Be sure to think of this area in your wheel chair ramp plan as separate and not part of the overall width and length measurements.