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Wheelchair ramp

It is often difficult for people using wheelchairs or walkers to transcend a series of steps, for example, or enter into a vehicle. To assist users in traveling over these type obstacles, ramp structures have been developed to provide an inclined surface on which the user can travel between the two elevations. The American Disability Act (ADA) requires that wheelchair ramps be placed in all public entry ways, thus insuring entrance to all. Vehicular wheelchair access systems for handicapped persons, such as lifts and ramps, can be mounted on vehicles and deployable/stowable with respect to the vehicle. Wheelchair users typically must move their wheelchair along lift platforms and ramps in order to transfer from the ground to the vehicle and from the vehicle to the ground. A power operated ramp is secured to a vehicle and capable of folding for easy storage. One end of the ramp is hingedly secured to the floor of the vehicle, and the ramp unfolds outwardly so that the free end contacts the ground. The ramp defines a flat, inclined surface to permit the wheelchair and occupant to enter and leave the vehicle without the need for traversing steps. Sidebarriers can be provided along the length of the ramp or lift platform as a safety precaution to prevent a wheelchair from moving or exiting over the sides of the ramp or platform outside the vehicle. Such sidebarriers may be affixed or deployable with the ramp.

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