Independent Wheelchair Transfers in the Built Environment: How Transfer Setup Impacts Performance Phase 2: Final Report

Ramp: A ramped surface was designed to insert between two steps and serve as an integrated sliding board to assist with the transfers by bridging the gap between steps.  Ramped surfaces used for transferring are not currently part of the standards but are present in some real world transfer situations.  For example, some amusement park rides have sloped surfaces built into the structure of the ride vehicle to help individuals transfer into and out of the vehicle.  A ramped surface was made to attach between the two transfer platforms ('steps') and span across an 8 inch wide space.  The angle of the ramp varies as the second platform height changes and the ramp grows or shrinks in size so as to maintain a constant 8-inch gap between the two transfer steps. The ramp had a constant width of 30 inches and was 1 inch thick. The minimum length was 8 inches and the maximum length was 11 inches.