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<< Back to CCN Newsletter - Winter 2006

Study of Portable Ramp Usage and Design Features

Portable ramps are a common tool often utilized by wheeled mobility users to help with access to homes, vehicles and navigating other obstacles. Very few scientific studies have been conducted to determine the most common uses for portable ramps or to learn what kinds of issues are commonly encountered. The goal of this study was to find out directly from portable ramp users (specifically power wheelchair, manual wheelchair and scooter users) what those issues are and to identify any ramp features that might benefit from better design.

Pete Anziano demonstrates the process of setting up his portable ramp. He uses it at his home and for visiting friends.

Members of the CATEA Consumer Network (CCN), along with other users of wheeled mobility devices, were invited to participate in an online survey to investigate these issues. During a one-month period, 53 users responded about their experiences with portable ramps. The results showed that:

• Over all, portable ramp owners are pleased with their ramps.
• A large percentage of ramp owners use their ramps less than once per week (44%).
• Portable ramps are noisy when being transported.
• Fingers can be caught too easily in the joints of folding ramps.
• Portable ramps do not always perform well in non-ideal conditions such as rainy or icy weather
• Most portable ramps do not include user's manuals or visual instructions (52%) for safe use.

One of the unexpected results of this survey was that a large percentage of respondents used their ramps rarely (less than once per week), even though they were pleased with the overall performance of their ramp. This seems to indicate that there is some need or needs that current portable ramps are unable to meet. Another surprise is that many ramps do not include owners' manuals. This issue was noted in earlier studies, but the fact that many manufacturers still don't provide manuals was unexpected.

Many users provided helpful and detailed comments on the survey which helped to emphasize the importance of some of the outstanding design issues. Pinched fingers when folding and unfolding ramps and ramps that rattle in the car while being transported were issues that were highlighted by many user comments. The survey responses revealed a couple of areas where portable ramps would benefit from new and innovative designs. While no single ramp will work in every possible situation, there is much room to improve their compatibility with a wider range of everyday obstacles. It is important to devise better mechanisms that will more easily secure both ends of a portable ramp and provide safe thresholds that are more universally adaptable. Designs can also be updated to improve performance in bad weather, especially in rainy or icy conditions. In these conditions, ramp connections to obstacles that are normally safe can become insecure. Better connection mechanisms may help, but they must also be able to perform reliably when conditions are not ideal. Traction on ramp surfaces in bad weather is also a problem. Better designs and/or materials are needed to make improvements. As it becomes available, more information about this study will be posted at: http://atwiki.assistivetech.net/Portable_Ramp.

Portable ramps are a common tool often utilized by wheeled mobility users to help with access to homes, vehicles and navigating other obstacles. Very few scientific studies have been conducted to determine the most common uses for portable ramps or to learn what kinds of issues are commonly encountered. The goal of this study was to find out directly from portable ramp users(specifically power wheelchair, manual wheelchair and scooter users) what those issues are and to identify any ramp features that might benefit from better design.

This research was conducted as part of the RERC on Wheeled Mobility which is supported by Grant H133E030035 of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education.