The Importance of Handicap Ramps in the Community

All community and public buildings should be accessible by handicap or differently-abled people. They’re a part of the community, after all. They should be able to easily and comfortably enter all public buildings, including government offices, schools, and even local shops and stores.

To facilitate this easy access, you need handicap ramps in Boston. These would allow wheelchair-bound people and the elderly to comfortably enter buildings. Here are some important factors to keep in mind before adding a handicap ramp to your building.

• The Slope- The slope of the handicap ramps in Boston needs to be appropriately measured for it to be safe for wheelchairs. If the degree of incline is too inclined, the wheelchair won’t be able to scale it and handicap people won’t be able to comfortably carry up the ramp. Inclined ramps can be hazardous and lead to accidents.

The ramp slope must be 1:12. This means that there should be no more than 1 unit of height to 10 units of distance. For example, if the ramp is 24ft long, the elevation should be 2ft. That’s just under normal circumstances. As Boston is prone to very cold winters, it’s better to have 1:18, with 1ft of height for every 18ft of length.

• The Handrails- Handrails are absolutely vital and should be within the reach of people sitting in a wheelchair as well as people standing on the ramp. Most ramps use double handrails of different heights to accommodate both standing and wheelchair bound individuals.

People will use handrails to pull themselves up the ramp, to hold on to it if they need rest, and for support if they’re insecure about moving down the slope. Handrails are a must on all handicap ramps in Boston.

• The Landing- The landing is an area of the ramp that allows the handicapped individual to turn, open doors, and have enough room to maneuver. If there’s no landing on top of the handicap ramps, people won’t be able to easily open doors or turn if needed. There’ll also be a risk of slipping down the slope, which can cause accidents. The

handicap ramps in Boston need to have proper landings.

There are several other factors that are involved in building ramps. Weight tolerance is one of them as well. The ramp should be able to support the load of people and people in wheelchairs. You also need to pay attention to ramp edges and landing transitions. If you do, you’ll have handicap ramps in Boston that everyone can comfortably use.