The American Disabilities Act has been approved to standardize building accessibility for people with disabilities and mobility issues. This ensures that public areas and businesses remain accessible and inclusive even to invalids. While most people who move within buildings are able-bodied and have no problems with mobility, giving access to wheelchaired individuals can be a significant game-changer.
Elevators may be impractical and space-consuming for buildings that only have two stories. Sometimes, ramps are also not a viable solution because of the building layout. In both of these cases, a wheelchair lift can definitely serve as a perfect alternative.
Basic Types of Wheelchair Lifts:
There are two types of wheelchair lifts: the inclined wheelchair lift and the vertical wheelchair lift. Incline wheelchair lifts are installed for climbing up and down the stairs. It has a rail and platform that can carry a wheelchair person from one flight of stairs to the next. It works very similar to stairlifts.
Vertical wheelchair lifts, on the other hand, work very much like a standard elevator. Instead of the rail traveling parallel to the flight of stairs, it brings the wheelchaired person from one floor to another. Most types of vertical wheelchair lifts are good for both indoor and outdoor use. Anti-skid platforms keep wheelchaired passengers safe during their rides.
Convenience and Safety:
Putting in a ramp can make your building more accessible, but sometimes it’s not exactly safe and convenient for a wheelchaired individual. Wheelchair lifts not only make mobility more possible for people with disabilities, but it also ensures that they safely get to another floor without too many problems. It provides convenience because there’s no need for them to get out of their wheelchairs to reach their destination.
Wheelchair lifts don’t take up much space but it certainly makes traveling up and down the stairs a lot easier and doable. This is especially helpful for wheelchair users who can’t use their upper body to roll their wheelchair up and down a ramp.
Freedom and Accessibility for People with Disabilities:
Living in a world that’s mostly catered to able-bodied people is very tough for people who are bound to a wheelchair. Aside from doors not being wide enough for them to easily pass through, sometimes stairs are the only way to move between floors.
Many of us take our freedom of movement for granted. After all, we can easily go about our daily lives. Unfortunately, people with disabilities aren’t afforded the same freedom and ease of access. The absence of wheelchair lifts can only compound the problem since it makes them unable to appreciate everything that a business has to offer.
A business with a wheelchair lift allows a wheelchaired individual to explore a building in the same way that an able-bodied person can. It gives people with disabilities more freedom without having to worry about asking for too much help from family and friends. Providing this kind of independence is one of the key ways to ensure that people with disabilities are able to move at their own pace without having to rely on others.
Business Versatility and Inclusiveness:
Although the majority of a business’ customers are able-bodied individuals, there’ll always be a few who happen to be disabled. Acknowledging is the first step to being more empathetic and inclusive. From a business standpoint, providing convenient wheelchair access will make people with disabilities want to visit and explore an establishment.
It’s basically a win-win situation for both the business and the wheelchaired people that’ll be enticed by their inclusivity attempts. For example, a wheelchaired individual may be interested in checking out a store’s products but couldn’t do so because it isn’t exactly disability-friendly. However, once a wheelchair lift is installed, they now have the freedom to see the store’s products. The wheelchaired person now gets access to what they want, and the business gets a customer out of it.
The Final Thoughts
While regular elevators can do the job of carrying a wheelchaired individual between floors, wheelchair lifts are more preferred by people with disabilities. This is because they’re specially tailored to accommodate and transport wheelchairs.
Wheelchair lifts don’t only make people’s lives easier, it also broadens a business’ customer base. Hence, it’s important to choose the right type of wheelchair lift to maximize its benefits.
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