An independent study of rubber wheelchair ramps suggests that only two out of the seven ramps examined met the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) minimum requirements for slope and grade.
The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design were used in the study, which, as of March 2012, are required compliance specifications for Title II and Title III construction, according to a media release from Sotter Engineering Corporation.
“We measured the slope and vertical change in level on seven different ramps. Five of them had acceptable vertical change measurements, but only two of them had acceptable slope (which may not be steeper than 1:12),” says John Sotter of Sotter Engineering.
Per the release, the two ramps that met both of these standards were a SafePath Products model and a Pride Mobility Products model.
The study was conducted to provide accurate information to architects, engineers, and builders, who previously had only manufacturers’ marketing claims to guide them.
“Although the government established the ADA requirements, they have not established an agency to police compliance. It is up to individual project managers to be certain that products they use meet the standards,” Sotter explains.
[Source(s): Sotter Engineering Corporation, PR Newswire]