Wheelchair Lifts
In the past, people with disabilities were treated with disrespect. They were frequently discriminated and mistreated. They had a hard time surviving and earning a life. Fortunately, in modern days, more and more people are taking a different point of view towards disabled people and give them the respect and dignity they deserve.
In addition, there are many technological advances that are aimed at helping disabled people have more freedom and a higher quality of life. Wheelchair lifts are one of these improvements, and fortunately, they’re becoming more and more common both in public and private places.
In general, wheelchair lifts are better than ramps because they require less physical effort. Because they’re operated by a motor and a control panel which can be as simple as two buttons, they don’t require physical strength. This is specially useful for those wheelchair users who have upper body disabilities and thus find it difficult to push a wheelchair up a ramp.
Another reason why wheelchair lifts are becoming more common is because a lot of laws require public buildings to adapt their entrances and exits in order to make it easy for disabled people to enter and exit. While most of them try to build wheelchair ramps, this is not always feasible. Because such laws didn’t exist when the buildings were constructed, they weren’t designed with access for disabled people in mind. Therefore, sometimes an entrance might be too high, or might not have enough space in front of it to build a ramp with a steep that’s negotiable for people with wheelchairs. In those cases, wheelchair lifts are definitely better options.
One disadvantage of wheelchair lifts is that they depend on electricity to function. Because of this, they are affected whenever there is a power failure. This is specially uncomfortable if a disable person is unlucky enough to find himself or herself in the middle of the lift operation. More than the inconvenience of being stuck and requiring help, the disabled person usually is more affected psychologically at the feeling of dependency of strangers. That’s why, newer models of wheelchair lifts come equipped with back up batteries which allow them to operate in such cases.
Wheelchair lifts can also be installed at home. They’re a good option for multi story houses where the installation of an elevator is impractical. Wheelchairs lifts are best when installed in a staircase rail that doesn’t have sudden turns. However, if there are children in the house, wheelchair lifts must be locked or otherwise protected from misuse or damage that children may cause. It’s also very important to teach children that wheelchair lifts aren’t toys or rides.
