Everything you need to know about Ramps
When it comes to accessibility and comfort for people who are physically challenged and require you to fulfil the need to move freely from one place to another, we often find families installing ramps that comply with the ADA standards. At times, it is the formal requirement of the law that you follow the protocol for the installation of ramps. However, when it comes to residential and personal use, there are no such criteria, but even then, people like to follow the set standards by the ADA ramp slope.
Which makes things easier for them and allows them easy access to difficult places. If you are among those thinking about installing trailer steps of different kinds or planning to have proper ramps installed in your commercial places. Here is everything that you need to know. It helps you make an informed decision and allows them to comply with the law.
- What does ADA mean, and why is it important to understand?
ADA is an act (Americans with Disabilities ACT) which ensures that no discrimination is carried out against people who discriminate in public and commercial places, and proper ramps need to be installed where they can move around without any hindrances.
As mentioned above, this act is only compliant with the areas in commercial places and public places. However, there are no such restrictions for residential buildings and houses. However, for those who are planning to get the ADA to act-compliant rails and ramps for their loved ones, it only makes things easier for them to pick and choose the ramps that the ADA defines.
Therefore, when picking and choosing the rails and ramps for personal use, it is important to understand the defined points that meet the standards of ADA.
- Bottom landing of the ramps:
When you are looking to invest in the ramps, there are endless details that you might want to pay attention to. However, the foremost thing you must understand to ensure the safe and secure landing of the ramps is the boot landing.
If you buy the ramps for the first time, you will have to pay attention to the bottom landing of the ramps, as they should be aligned with the surface for safe and secure wheelchair landings.
However, you often require a concrete sidewalk, driveway or well-laid pavers to ensure the bottom landing is safe and secure. While keeping a close eye on the bottom landing, it is important to ensure that no water accumulation occurs at the landing area, making accessibility difficult on and off the ramps.
Because people might also move on the ramps comfortably, we often advise the installation service providers to keep the ramp landings as wide as the ramps themselves. When you are following the standard, make sure that you consider the length of the ramps and other details as well.
- Along the ramps:
There are other details about the slope, length, width, and side of the ramps that you should consider. Therefore, when you are designing your ramps by the ADA complaint, make sure to follow the details that are included.
- Slope:
When you look at the compliant slope for the ramps, it is 1:12. It is simple: for every inch of vertical rise of the ramp, the slope should be 12 inches of ramp length. These are the standards set to make sure that the ramps become easily accessible for people who are dealing with the challenges of mobility and couldn’t access the staircase.
- Width:
For ramps to be compliant with ADA standards, the ramps should be at least 36 inches in width. For all those people who are moving on the ramps with mobility aids and devices, this is the ideal width considered to be along the ramps. This is an ideal selection of width, making sure that people with diverse mobility challenges and moving with different aids could look forward to moving freely with ample space on the ramps.
- Resting platform:
Another important detail that every ramp installation service provider should adhere to is the resting platform. For the user to be able to move the ramps, the length of the resting platform for the ramps should be 30 inches.
- Safety features:
The safety and security of the people for whom these ramps are designed are of paramount importance. Make sure to include handrails for the support and stability of all those people who are supposed to use these platforms. It prevents accidental slips and falls, ensuring that everyone uses the platform as per the safety protocol and standards. Therefore, when you are picking the ramps for a commercial place or for your own home, make sure to keep all these safety and size compliance of ramps in mind.