{"id":42485,"date":"2022-06-29T15:15:54","date_gmt":"2022-06-29T07:15:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/?p=42485"},"modified":"2023-03-14T13:35:32","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T05:35:32","slug":"what-are-the-basic-requirements-for-wheelchair-access-ramps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/2022\/06\/what-are-the-basic-requirements-for-wheelchair-access-ramps\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are the Basic Requirements for Wheelchair Access Ramps"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A wheelchair access ramp must be adapted to meet the needs of all types of people whether it be for <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/product_cate-2\/power-wheelchair\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">power wheelchairs<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/product_cate-2\/manual\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">manual wheelchairs<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/product_cate-2\/scooter\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mobility scooters<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the elderly. It\u2019s important to take into account the needs of these mobility users and provide them with equipment and facilities that are not only accessible but also safe for them to use. This blog will cover the characteristics of a suitable wheelchair access slope.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Measurements for a wheelchair access ramp<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #008080;\">Length of a wheelchair access ramp<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Generally, a fixed ramp cannot be longer than <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wheelchair-ramps.co.uk\/information\/\"><b>9 meters<\/b><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The reason for this is that if the slope is longer than nine meters, it can require excessive effort for a person who needs to manually propel their wheelchair. In most cases, it is necessary to have a ramp that is longer than 9 meters, which is why there are flat sections throughout that serve as a rest point for the wheelchair user. These breaks must be at least 1.5 meters to be a sufficient rest break. <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row\"  id=\"row-193493717\">\n\n\t<div id=\"col-619901293\" class=\"col small-12 large-12\"  >\n\t\t<div class=\"col-inner text-center\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\" id=\"image_1291488636\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-inner dark\" >\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/JCFF0110-1024x683-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/JCFF0110-1024x683-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/JCFF0110-1024x683-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<style>\n#image_1291488636 {\n  width: 75%;\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #008080;\">Width for a wheelchair access ramp<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The minimum width of a wheelchair access ramp must be <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wheelchair-ramps.co.uk\/information\/\"><b>1.2 meters<\/b><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, this refers exclusively to the surface that the wheelchair can access. The reason for this is so that the ramp can accommodate all types of wheelchairs. Although 1.2 meters is the minimum requirement, however, most wheelchair ramps have a width of up to 1.5 meters.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #008080;\">Wheelchair access ramp slope<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The slope or angle of a ramp depends on the <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wheelchair-ramps.co.uk\/information\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">length of the ramp<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the ramp is less than 3 meters, the incline should be no greater than 10%.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the ramp is between 3-6 meters, the maximum slope incline should be no greater than 8%.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the ramp is between 6-9 meters, the maximum slope incline should be no greater than 6%.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s extremely important to follow these regulations, as they exist for a reason! If a slope is uneven or too steep, this can cause accidents for people with disabilities and cause additional difficulties for access instead of being a solution for people with mobility limitations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"row\"  id=\"row-983376839\">\n\n\t<div id=\"col-119208893\" class=\"col small-12 large-12\"  >\n\t\t<div class=\"col-inner text-center\"  >\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\" id=\"image_287266194\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-inner dark\" >\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"296\" src=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/unnamed.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/unnamed.jpeg 512w, https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/unnamed-300x173.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<style>\n#image_287266194 {\n  width: 75%;\n}\n<\/style>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Often, only the length and width of a ramp are taken into account when designing a ramp. However, the gradual slope of all sections of a ramp is essential for anyone to safely travel. Another details often missed by ramp designers include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The transverse of the slope must be less or equal to 2% to prevent the wheelchair from sliding sideways.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The floor must be non-slip to prevent falls.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On either side of the ramp, for the entire length, the ramp must have a protective barrier of at least 12 CM high to prevent a wheelchair from derailing.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wheelchair access ramp railing<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The wheelchair access ramp must have a double handrail on either side of the slope. One between 90-105 CM and another between 70-95 CM. The distance between these rails should be 20CM. The handrails should also be extended on either end for 30CM, so people can have something to hold onto before they start their descent or ascent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">KARMA Medical are a globally recognized wheelchair manufacturer who expertly design wheelchairs and mobility scooters for people with disabilities. If you require information about your <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">KARMA wheelchair<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"color: #008080;\">,<\/span> you can find the latest version of the user manual on the product page, or you can <\/span><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/contact\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contact the KARMA Medical team<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A wheelchair access ramp must be adapted to meet the needs of all types of people whether it be for power wheelchairs, manual wheelchairs, mobility scooters and the elderly. It\u2019s important to take into account the needs of these mobility users and provide them with equipment and facilities that are not only accessible but also [&#8230;]\n","protected":false},"author":52647,"featured_media":45965,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538,714],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42485"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52647"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42485"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46002,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42485\/revisions\/46002"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.karmamedical.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}