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Are Ramps Available to Use Where You Live?
We may not be getting out and about much during these challenging times, but if you do and use a rollator, scooter or power chair; does your community have ramps?
It’s interesting that the ancient Greeks may have had disabled access to their temples! My guess is plenty of their surviving warriors may have lost the ability to walk and not that these were enlightened societies.
In the US, it’s mandated that public facilities have accessible entrances including ramps. Many private businesses however don’t comply. I understand that in the UK, many shops and pubs don’t offer ramps for their patrons.
What have your experiences been like? Are handicap accessible ramps common in the country where you live?
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2 Replies
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We live in a 55 and over community, I still use a walking stick. We have ramps at all the corners and front driveways. I was diagnosed in October.
Denise, a ALS Warrior
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Ramps in general are available where I live in Massachusetts, especially along sidewalks and streets. But, in New England, a lot of buildings are very old and ‘grandfathered,’ so they are exempt from ADA rules. I have had to leave my hairdresser, because he’s on the second floor of a building with no elevator. And one of my favorite boutiques has a three-step entrance that I can no longer use, so I can’t go there (fortunately I can still shop there online, but I miss browsing the shop). The issue for building owners is that if they make one accommodation to the building–such as a ramp–they have to bring the entire building into compliance, which can be expensive.
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