With a significant portion of the population heading into their golden years, facilities being properly accessible to the disabled via disability steps and ramps is growing ever more imperative.
When installing disability steps or ramps, it’s essential to put some forethought into the design and implementation thereof, and to avoid throwing things together or doing things by half measures. Poor planning and shoddy construction are not merely very frustrating to the disabled—they may in fact prove highly dangerous. The following images are some extreme “real life” examples of common mistakes to avoid when trying to create a disability-friendly venue:
1. Ramps that lead to standard steps
What is the point? If wheelchairs could climb standard steps, disability steps and ramps would not have to exist. Make sure your disability accommodations are thorough from beginning to end, or you might as well not install any.
2. Obstacles
The presence of a tree or a fence in the middle of a disability ramp is, obviously, so completely ridiculous as to seem like a practical joke against the disabled, yet it happened, and should serve as a stark reminder to make sure that all ramps and/or disability steps are free of obstacles that would be cumbersome for a wheelchair to maneuver around. Remember, they’re not the most agile of personal vehicles. Similarly, disability steps for less-abled walkers should be free of anything that might encourage falls or injury.
3. Style over function
Someone was likely going for a stylish, edgy look here, with an “artistic” gap for effect, accentuating the curved stairs—or at least, that’s about the only even slightly logical explanation that comes to mind for the presence of the large and intimidating gap in this ramp. Obviously, this is not very safe; when making your facility wheelchair-accessible, always put safety first, and style second.
4. Inadequate room to maneuver
This ramp, while sufficient in itself, is much too close to a high curb that a wheelchair would struggle to get over, and doesn’t provide enough room to turn so that a wheelchair could steer onto it from the walkway. Remember to work in enough room for wheelchairs to comfortably access any ramps provided; again, they are large and rather cumbersome vehicles that need ample room in which to safely maneuver. Having a wheel go over a steep curb while attempting a turn could lead to a serious fall.
5. Presence of a bottom “hurdle” and/or steep slope
The amount of physical power it would take to get a wheelchair over the bottom step and up the steep ramp pictured below is likely not something possessed by any human, never mind an elderly person. Remember that wheelchairs are very heavy and occupied by people of varying upper body strength—ramps should have a gentle incline that begins at ground level, with no hurdles to cross in order to get on the ramp itself.