While wheelchairs are improving the independence of users, there is one factor that is holding back their full freedom to move about as they want... the rise or drop of a step, a vehicle, or a sidewalk curb.

Enter; the wheelchair ramp. Wheelchair ramps are designed to help wheel chair and mobility scooter users get in and out of places that people with full use of their legs simply step down or step up into.

A wheelchair ramp is not as easy as putting down a board to wheel in. The steeper the ramp, the greater the danger of flipping backward as you climb. As well, steeper ramps are more difficult to climb. Too narrow a board and the wheel chair user is in danger of falling over one side. Made of incorrect tread and the ramp can become too slick for the wheels to grip.

To solve the problem, municipalities and wheelchair ramp manufacturers have each created standards of the ratio between the length of the ramp and its height (sometimes this is called "the slope" or "the rise".) Essentially, the standards say that the higher the height, the longer the ramp needs to be. If you have a wheelchair user in your home, there are many ramp options available that comply with municipal recommendations. These ramps can be made of metal or wood and when you attach them to your house, you'll likely attach them permanently. Well built wooden wheelchair ramps blend in with the home's current architecture, making a seamless transition into full accessibility.

Non-permanent ramps are also available to be kept in a van to transport the wheelchair and its user wherever they need to go. Sometimes these ramps can be attached right to the van and other times they can be simply placed in the van when not in use.

This leaves the last - and often most challenging place for ramps - public areas. Many commercial and government buildings have been built to be wheelchair compliant... but not all. As well, some cities have not made allof their sidewalks wheelchair compliant either. These things take time and tax dollars. The solution may be a portable ramp - sometimes called a suitcase ramp because of its size - which can be carried on the back of a wheelchair or scooter and placed at these points to get you over them.

Steps are the one thing that keep wheelchair users from full freedom of movement and that challenge can be solved by ramps. If you own a building, make sure there are wheelchair compliant ramps in place. If you live near a curb that is not sloped, petition your city to change it. The world is changing... do your part to help people in wheelchairs to get around freely.