Vertical Wheelchair Lifts: Specifying for Safety, Accessibility and Building Needs

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Sponsored by Ascension, a Division of AGM
Karin Tetlow

Using a simple tool, this portable lift can be compressed to pass through doorways 36 inches wide.

Photo: Ascension

Permanently installed vertical
wheelchair lift

  • Suited for any type of construction work where allowed by the ADA (new, renovations, modernizations.)
  • Meets building code requirements that call for permanent accessibility.

Considerations

  • Requires a building permit
  • Some vertical wheelchair lifts require a pit at the lower level (approximately 3 inches deep) so that the entry surface of the lift is level with the floor (see paragraph on access ramps below), adding to the cost of installation.

DESIGN FEATURES

In terms of design, the most distinguishing feature of a vertical wheelchair lift is whether or not its drive mechanism is contained in an adjacent highly visible machine tower. The majority of vertical wheelchair lifts are equipped with towers that are part of their construction. Typical higher-end niche models are designed with no machine tower; drive mechanisms are self-contained within the platform side panels.

With a machine tower

  • Towers often exceed 72 inches in height and can obstruct sight lines, which in turn may affect visibility for, say, people on stage or in the audience.

No machine tower

  • A lift with no machine tower is completely self-contained and compact.
  • Increases portability.
  • Contemporary construction and design.
  • No line of sight issues when using the lift for access to stage activities.
  • More easily blends into the setting and does not detract from the architectural integrity of the building.
  • Operation is typically smoother because the platform is lifted from both sides or from underneath (instead from only one side, as is the case with all lifts that have a machine tower).

Vertical wheelchair lifts with and without a machine tower. Machine tower can obstruct sight lines.

Image: Ascension

With or without an access ramp

The transition from the lower landing level to the lift platform floor is critical to the usability of a wheelchair lift, and it is addressed in several different ways by lift manufacturers. This transition occurs because all lifts have some sort of supporting structure located under the platform floor which prevents the platform floor from sitting flush with the ground when the lift platform is at the lower landing, unless a shallow pit is provided to give clearance for the supporting structure.

Most fixed lifts, except for higher-end models, address this issue in one of two ways.  The first is to provide a stationary access ramp in front of the lift door at the lower landing. A typical lift will require a 3 foot long ramp in order to accommodate a 3 inch offset between the landing and the platform floor with a 1:12 slope as required by the ADA. Additionally, because the ADA requires a 5 foot level landing in front of a lift door, that ramp must be offset from the door by 5 feet. Overall this leads to an 8 foot space in front of the lower landing lift door, which can be a problem if space is at a premium. Portable lifts are generally provided with an access ramp, except for high-end models.

The other way that this issue is often addressed on a fixed lift is by putting the lift into a shallow pit, so that there is no longer a vertical offset between the lower landing and the lift platform floor. This solution works well in new construction. However, when installing a fixed lift into an existing facility, the facility is required to create a new pit.  This is often difficult and expensive, and sometimes impossible. 

There is no problem-free way to place a portable lift in a pit, or to provide a 5 foot level landing between the access ramp and the lift entrance door.

The reason that wheelchair lift access ramps are so important is that the ADA requires that platform lifts facilitate unassisted entry and exit. However, an access ramp can make this transition difficult because access ramps, especially for portable lifts, tend to be quite steep. It is common for an access ramp to have a vertical elevation change of 3 inches over a horizontal distance of only 18-24 inches. This ramp slope exceeds the 1:12 slope allowed by the ADA, which can make it difficult or even impossible for most wheelchair-bound users to enter and exit the lift unassisted. Also, it is fairly common for a fixed lift to be installed with a ramp directly in front of the lower landing door in order to save space. However, this violates the ADA, which, as noted above, requires a 5 foot level landing in front of a lift door and makes access to the lift difficult

 

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Originally published in April 2012

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