Current legislation stipulates that buildings must make access possible to the handicapped. Wheelchair users, particularly, cannot use stairs or enter through doorways with a high curb. Sometimes, old buildings do not make provision for these users. Many private residences do not either. If this is a source of difficult to you, wheelchair ramp installers in Greenville SC can show you possible solutions.
Some buildings are indeed designed to accommodate wheelchairs. They typically have a concrete ramp constructed next to their entry stairs. They may also have a metal slope bolted to the paving. In some cases, where the interior floor is at the same level as the outside area, the doorway is stepless. These buildings are an example to architects as to how to give access to the disabled.
However, for new buildings, or those which require modification, there are specific guidelines in national law. Buildings need to comply with these guidelines to be classified as officially accessible to the handicapped through the use of ramps. The regulations are simple to apply and very specific in their detail.
Obviously, a ramp should not be too steep for the user to comfortably ascend it. This is an essential principle in its design. Private residences are allowed to use slopes with a gradient of up to 2:12, or a two inch increase in height per foot of length. Public buildings, on the other hand, are only allowed a ratio of 1:12, or one inch per foot. This ensures that the slope is not too steep to be easily passable.
Another dimension specified by the legislation is the structure's entire length. It may potentially cover any distance, but no section or stage of it is allowed to exceed 30 feet. After a maximum stretch of 30 feet, it has to have a landing or, if it has only one stage, terminate entirely. The user may simply not have the physical ability to ascend for more than that distance at a time.
Landings must be at least 60 inches wide, and if a landing is at a turn, it has to be at least 60 by 60 inches square. Wheelchairs take up more space than a standing or seated person. Moving or parking a wheelchair requires more room than able-bodied motion, especially if there is a turn involved.
The floor surface should be able to give the wheels a proper grip. Slippery surfaces are unacceptable. If there no traction with the wheels, they will spin without causing forward motion. This is not only extremely annoying to the user. It is also a risk to their safety, and should not be tolerated. The traction offered by the surface should be consistent in both dry and wet conditions.
If handrails are part of the ramp's design, they are not allowed to rise higher than 28 inches. They should also be shaped so that they are comfortable to grab hold of. Their material should not be too smooth to grip, either. Some wheelchair users might actually prefer to use the handrails for propulsion so this is essential to their experience of the ramp.
The independence of disabled people is a human right enshrined in the constitution. They too have employment and social lives. Ramps are one way of saying that they are equal members of society.
Some buildings are indeed designed to accommodate wheelchairs. They typically have a concrete ramp constructed next to their entry stairs. They may also have a metal slope bolted to the paving. In some cases, where the interior floor is at the same level as the outside area, the doorway is stepless. These buildings are an example to architects as to how to give access to the disabled.
However, for new buildings, or those which require modification, there are specific guidelines in national law. Buildings need to comply with these guidelines to be classified as officially accessible to the handicapped through the use of ramps. The regulations are simple to apply and very specific in their detail.
Obviously, a ramp should not be too steep for the user to comfortably ascend it. This is an essential principle in its design. Private residences are allowed to use slopes with a gradient of up to 2:12, or a two inch increase in height per foot of length. Public buildings, on the other hand, are only allowed a ratio of 1:12, or one inch per foot. This ensures that the slope is not too steep to be easily passable.
Another dimension specified by the legislation is the structure's entire length. It may potentially cover any distance, but no section or stage of it is allowed to exceed 30 feet. After a maximum stretch of 30 feet, it has to have a landing or, if it has only one stage, terminate entirely. The user may simply not have the physical ability to ascend for more than that distance at a time.
Landings must be at least 60 inches wide, and if a landing is at a turn, it has to be at least 60 by 60 inches square. Wheelchairs take up more space than a standing or seated person. Moving or parking a wheelchair requires more room than able-bodied motion, especially if there is a turn involved.
The floor surface should be able to give the wheels a proper grip. Slippery surfaces are unacceptable. If there no traction with the wheels, they will spin without causing forward motion. This is not only extremely annoying to the user. It is also a risk to their safety, and should not be tolerated. The traction offered by the surface should be consistent in both dry and wet conditions.
If handrails are part of the ramp's design, they are not allowed to rise higher than 28 inches. They should also be shaped so that they are comfortable to grab hold of. Their material should not be too smooth to grip, either. Some wheelchair users might actually prefer to use the handrails for propulsion so this is essential to their experience of the ramp.
The independence of disabled people is a human right enshrined in the constitution. They too have employment and social lives. Ramps are one way of saying that they are equal members of society.
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