Portable ramps for wheelchair users – an appraisal

This paper describes a study to establish values for gradients which could be achieved by wheelchair users whilst using two different lengths of otherwise identical portable ramps. Sixty subjects each tested gradients of between 1:14 and 1:6 on portable ramps of 1 metre and 1.8 metres length. The results demonstrated that the majority of attendant-propelled, self-propelling, and powered wheelchair users could negotiate gradients of 1:8 and 1:6 on the shorter ramp with varying degrees of effort. A gradient of 1:10 on a short ramp presented few difficulties for the majority of wheelchair users. Although this work relates specifically to portable ramps, there is little to suggest that the results could not be applied to permanent ramps, including those used in the home.