Wheelchair ramps

Twelve feet of run for every foot of rise, which is the accessible one-in-twelve slope, plus a level landing at the top and at any turn. A six-inch step needs six feet of ramp; a three-foot porch needs about thirty-six feet plus landings. If that will not fit, a platform lift is the right answer instead of a steeper ramp.

No. The Assistive Devices Program does not cover ramps. The federal Home Accessibility Tax Credit when CRA eligibility rules fit, March of Dimes HVMP, ODSP, WSIB and Veterans Affairs are the usual routes. We help with the applications and confirm what you actually pay in writing.

You can, and people do, and it is the reason many ramps go unused. Above one in twelve a wheelchair user generally cannot climb it independently, and descending is worse because the chair accelerates. If space is the constraint, we will price a platform lift rather than build something unsafe.

It depends on the municipality, the height and whether it is a permanent structure. Modular aluminum ramps often avoid a permit because they are not permanent construction, while a poured concrete ramp usually needs one. We check at the assessment and handle it where it applies.

If the need is temporary, after surgery or during a course of treatment, renting a modular ramp is usually much better value than building anything. If the need is permanent, buying or building is cheaper over time and looks better.

A small wedge that bridges a raised door sill or a patio door track, usually an inch or two. It is the least expensive item in accessibility and removes an obstacle someone meets several times a day. Often the first thing we recommend, and sometimes the only thing needed.

Aluminum is light, maintenance free and reconfigurable, but utilitarian. Wood matches a house and can be made to look like part of it, but needs maintenance and a non-slip finish. Concrete is permanent, silent and best in ice, but costly and irreversible. It depends on how long it is needed and how it has to look.

Any ramp can be, and it is the main safety issue in an Ontario winter. Aluminum ramps use a perforated or textured surface, wood needs a grit finish applied, and every ramp needs clearing and salting. We factor surface into the specification rather than leaving it to chance.

Yes, and modular aluminum is usually the right choice because it bolts together without concrete work and can be removed entirely, leaving the property as it was. Landlords are far more likely to agree to that than to permanent construction.

It depends on the rise, the material and whether it is rented, modular or built. A threshold ramp is tens of dollars; a long custom ramp is a construction project. We give you a written price after the site assessment rather than a range that turns out not to apply.

Usually, but check the width and the weight rating, because scooters are wider and heavier than most wheelchairs and heavy duty models especially so. Tell us what will be using it at the assessment and we will specify accordingly.

Then you need a level landing large enough to stop on and open the door, and it is worth considering an automatic door opener. Reaching for a handle while holding a chair on a slope is one of the most common near-miss situations we see.