Wheelchair Ramp Safety

Log Ride at Knotts Berry Farm

I really pushed myself today.  I was able to walk to the corner and back with the walker.  It took me about 20 minutes to accomplish this because I was being extra careful looking down at the sidewalk, making sure there weren't any uneven surfaces to stumble over.

I haven't been happy with the wheelchair ramp we rented.  I always felt like it was going to tip over.  It was too steep of a ride. Climbing it reminded me of the ascent of the Matterhorn ride at Disneyland, and going down it felt like the descent on the log ride at Knotts Berry Farm, but much less safe.  It wasn't the proper length that the ADA recommends--which is one foot for every inch of rise. In our case, that would equal 12 feet. We were shocked by how expensive it costs--over $500!  The only ramp we could find to rent was 6 feet. No wonder I didn't feel safe on it!

Without the ramp, I vowed to force myself to climb down the porch steps without it.  This was a challenge because it was one of the biggest hurdles I had to overcome when I came home from the hospital after fracturing my pelvis.  We live in a 103-year-old craftsman bungalow and one of the historical features of this school of architecture is elephantine columns on each side of the porch. So, while stepping cautiously down the first porch step, I clung onto the ledge of the column for dear life. Using my good foot I descended, then brought down my injured leg.  Yay!  I made it down one step with a fractured pelvis!!  I had one more step to go, and here's where it got tricky.  The surface of our driveway is old and uneven with deep cracks as hazards.  I was able to position the walker on a relatively flat surface and lean against the walker to steady myself as I took the final step.  I was shaky but made it without falling, so Hooray!!

Enough excitement for one day.

Update: After three days of trying this new method of stair climbing, I still was having a hard time going up and down the porch steps.  So, we hired a handyman who built a rail for the porch steps and it's working out much better.