ADA Compliance and Accessibility: Wheelchair Ramps

Wheelchair ramps at businesses, theaters, offices, stores, restaurants and other public places must be safe for, and accessible to, people with a disabilities. Therefore, the ADA has a list of guidelines on how these ramps are to be constructed, to ensure usability and to avoid hazards.

These requirements spell out that the ramp must not be too steep, must be wide enough for access and travel, must have handrails and must have decent starting and landing points and lead to access to a building.

Here are the specifics:

• For every inch of height (rise) to the ramp, there must be one foot of surface to travel along. This is known as the slope ratio and is meant to ensure that the ramp is not too steep, that the wheelchair will not tip over and that the ramp is not too difficult to climb.
• There must be a five foot by five foot landing area at the top and bottom of the ramp. This is for maneuverability and to make sure the wheelchair doesn't bottom out.
• The ramp must be thirty-six inches wide; specifically, there must be thirty-six inches of clear space across the ramp. Obviously this makes it easier to use the ramp, if it is too narrow then it will be more difficult if not impossible to travel on the ramp.
• There must be a maximum of thirty feet of a run before there is a turn in the ramp. This turn will have a rest or platform to allow for safe maneuvering.
• If the ramp rises higher than six inches, there must be handrails that you can reach from a wheelchair.
• There must be curbs, railings or walls along the sides of the ramp if there is a drop-off, to prevent falling off the ramp.
• The ramp must be designed to prevent the accumulation of water, obviously because water on the ramp could lead to accidents or even prevention of use of the ramp, because of slipping and skidding.