Wheelchair Ramps: Amramp Provides Access in any Situation

Amramp Salutes Parents Who Rock Halloween 

In honor of Halloween, Amramp wanted to share the admirable efforts of parents who have children with mobility concerns and the creative costumes they've made – the hit of every Halloween party. From rockers to princesses, every child gets to be exactly what he/she wanted to be, despite having to use a wheelchair. Get inspired and share your costumes with us!  

Wheelchair ramps installed in days not weeks

Call Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate

Please contact Amramp’s National Customer Service Center 888-715-7598 

Last weekend, @JackDaniel’s_US held their 27^th Annual World Championship Invitational Barbecue in Lynchburg, TN – the most prestigious barbecue contest in the world.

Amramp was there providing access with a wheelchair ramp rental for the trailer used as event headquarters. Jack Daniel’s has a lot of volunteers that help with this huge event. Many of them are retirees and they all used the ramp and greatly appreciated being able to get in and out of the trailer so easily this year. Jack Daniel's reached out to Dave Taylor, Amramp Eastern Tennessee to provide a solution for providing easy access to the trailer.

Congratulations to Grand Champion – Cool Smoke from Richmond, VA. They competed with sixty-eight championship teams from the US and 26 international teams from countries including Australia, Bahamas, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Japan, Norway, Poland and South Africa in Lynchburg, TN.

Amramp Selected to Exhibit at the 2015 NPA Annual Conference in Philadelphia

Amramp is honored to be selected to showcase its installed accessibility products and solutions at the 2015 National PACE Association (NPA) Annual Conference, Oct. 18-21, in Philadelphia.

PACE, aka Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, develops sustainable programs to deliver medical and supportive services to elders 55 and older whom the state certifies needing nursing home-level care.

Strikingly, only about 7% of PACE participants actually reside in a nursing home. Instead, PACE provides services and preserves independence in their own homes, with community support. This event, which is held exclusively for NPA members, exists to advance Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly programs and provide networking and learning opportunities to the executive and clinical staff work tirelessly to support and promote comprehensive, quality, and cost-effective health care services for seniors.

The PACE model of care first began in the early 1970s when William Gee, a public health dentist who headed the nonprofit Chinatown-North Beach Health Care Planning and Development Corporation, hired social worker Marie-Louise Ansak to study the feasibility of building a nursing home in the community. When she found that building a nursing home would be financially impossible, she developed a comprehensive system of care based on the geriatric day-hospital model developed in the UK during the late 1950s and 1960s. Ansak then worked to obtain funding to train health care workers in cooperation with the University of California San Francisco. Since then PACE has grown considerably and currently has 107 programs operating in 32 states, where they offer services such as:

• adult day care

• physical, occupational, and recreational therapies

• meal delivery

• nutritional counseling

• home health care and personal care

• prescription drugs

• social services

• medical specialties, such as audiology, dentistry, optometry, podiatry, and speech therapy

More than 600 individuals attended the 2014 NPA Annual Conference, this year is expected to be even bigger. With more than 60 education sessions and 20 poster presentations, attendees will have the opportunity to learn and, with over 25 companies exhibiting.

This year’s keynote speaker Dr. Leana Wen is an emergency-room physician, Rhodes Scholar, author, and TED speaker. Dr. Wen received her medical training at Washington University and Brigham & Women's Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was a clinical fellow at Harvard Medical School. As a professor of emergency medicine and health policy, she co-led a national collaboration on health policy and social mission and was founder and director of Who’s My Doctor, a campaign calling for transparency in medicine. The focus of Dr. Wen’s TED talks surround patient advocacy and health care reform. She recently released a book entitled When Doctors Don't Listen: How to Avoid Misdiagnoses and Unnecessary Tests. Her speaking fee will be donated to Baltimore-area and other charities.

Amramp is looking forward to being a part of this conference that shares our passion for helping seniors maintain their independence. We will be demonstrating Amramp’s latest accessibility products, including our patent-pending modular ramp system, vertical lifts, and portable showers. Looking forward to seeing all PACE members in Philadelphia!

To learn more about PACE and available services, click here to check out the website.

Wheelchair ramps installed in days not weeks

Call Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate

Please contact Amramp’s National Customer Service Center 888-715-7598 

For most of us, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Fire Prevention Week means making sure your smoke detectors are working. For people with mobility concerns and for wheelchair users, fire safety requires additional preparation and planning. Here are a few tips to help you – or those you care about – be fire-ready:

Fire-Ready Tip 1 – Develop a fire-escape plan so you know what to do. According to an NFPA survey, three-quarters of Americans have a home-fire escape plan, but more than half never practiced it. When crisis happens at home, work, or anywhere you routinely spend time, you don’t want to have to figure out what to do while in a state of panic.

In addition to evacuation routes, the NFPA Fire Prevention Week Campaign focuses on having fully operational smoke alarms in your home so that in the event of a fire, particularly one in the middle of the night, you are made aware soon enough to get out.

Fire-Ready Tip 2 – If possible, plan for the possibility of not being able to reach your wheelchair. Amramp installed a modular wheelchair ramp for a woman who later suffered a fire in her home. She didn't have time to get to her wheelchair, so she held onto the furniture to make it to the front door. She was able to use the railings on the ramp to get to safety.

Fire-Ready Tip 3 – Invest in a wheelchair ramp and other equipment that will withstand high heat. In the case of the woman mentioned above, soon after she made it to safety, the aluminum front door melted. This is a dangerous failing of other ramps on the market that are made of aluminum or wood. In the intense heat of a fire aluminum melts and wood burns. Due to the durable steel that Amramp ramps are manufactured with, once they scraped the melted aluminum off, they were able to dismantle and reinstall the ramp at her new home the day after the fire.

Another Amramp client, who was a veteran, suffered a house fire in Hazelton, PA. He and his wife were able to escape using their Amramp wheelchair ramp provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Another man managed to escape his quickly engulfed home in Fair Oaks, NC, by using the Amramp modular wheelchair ramp provided by his church. His ramp was also dismantled and re-installed at his mother’s house right away after the fire.

Per design standards, wheelchair ramps are a “means of egress” in a fire and should be fireproof. Amramp modular ramps are made of the same steel used in fire escapes and provide a stable, fireproof exit in the case of fire. Contact Amramp for independent test lab data on ramp-fire safety.

Home fires killed an average of eight people every day in 2013; half of these deaths resulted from fires reported between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., when most people are asleep. It is crucial to prepare yourself, your family, and your home so that you have the best possible chance to escape a fire should one occur. It is even more vital for wheelchair users and people with mobility concerns. 

For more information on how to prevent a fire in your home check out the NFPA website.

If you would like to learn more about Amramp’s fireproof modular ramp system

Call Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate

Please contact Amramp’s National Customer Service Center 888-715-7598 

Amramp Philadelphia teams with United Cerebral Palsy and Spina Bifida Association to benefit 4-year-old

Four-year-old Nate can now get from his home into his Glenside, PA, yard, just like kids without Spina Bifida, thanks to grants from United Cerebral Palsy and the Spina Bifida Association. 

“Nate has already been using the ramp to ride his motorized scooterboard up to our front porch and down to our front yard,” shared Nate’s mother, Jamie, “Now he just can’t wait to get his power wheelchair, and be able to get in and out of our house with it!”

Nate’s parents, Jamie and Stephen worked with both UCP and SBADV to secure grants to fund the ramp and installation. The family then contacted Nick Marcellino at Amramp Philadelphia in June to ask if Amramp is willing to work with third-party organizations. 

“We performed the evaluation and proposal; when the funds came through a month later, we got to work,” explained Amramp Philadelphia owner-operator Marcellino. 

Spina Bifida is a condition that occurs when the spine of a baby fails to close, creating an opening, or lesion, on the spinal column. This opening can lead to nerve damage in the spinal column, which then results in varying degrees of paralysis. 

Amramp’s patent-pending steel modular wheelchair ramp connects the family’s porch to the front yard, comprising two 4-foot-by-4-foot platforms and 25-feet of ramp. Amramp experts arrived at 9 a.m. and installation was complete in about a half-day, by 1 p.m.

“Thank you so much to the two gentlemen who installed the ramp (and the other gentlemen who were there for the evaluation previously), who were so friendly professional, efficient, and were so good with interacting with our son,” said Jamie. 

“Thank you to United Cerebral Palsy and Spina Bifida Association of Delaware Valley for their generous financial assistance to help make this possible. Thank you also to Nick and Joyce at Amramp, for all your work to coordinate the ramp evaluation, purchase, and installation. We appreciate all of you and the work you have done to help make this happen,” Jamie said. “We can't thank you enough for everything!”

Every ramp or accessibility product that we install is very meaningful to the Amramp team in all 45 locations across North America, because we know that our efforts are improving individual’s lives and their loved ones, too.

“We just changed a little boy’s life and his parents for the better,” said Marcellino, “Very humbling.”

Call Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate

Please contact Amramp’s National Customer Service Center 888-715-7598

Amramp modular wheelchair ramps are free standing and don’t attach to the house so they are moveable and reusable – easy to dismantle and reassemble if you move.

Here’s a great example of the versatility of our ramp system.

A customer had the original ramp installed on the front entrance of her home in Minnesota several years ago by Doug Pumarlo and Steve Lyons of Amramp Minnesota. She recently moved to the Chicago area. The ramp was taken down and re-installed yesterday in her garage at her new home by Bill Woods and the Amramp Chicago team.

Nice jobs, Doug, Steve and Bill!

Learn more about our versatile Amramp wheelchair ramps, lifts and more at www.amramp.com.

Knowing Your Rights: How to tell and what to do when a business isn't ADA compliant 

Amramp is proud to be an ADA compliant manufacturer and count ourselves among the many groups working tirelessly to help people with mobile restrictions achieve equal opportunity, accessibility, and independence. Ideally, all companies would want to invest the time and money necessary to make their goods and services accessible to everybody, and Amramp’s expert installers all across the U.S. – and now in Canada – would like to help make it easy.

However, it pains us to see that there are some businesses who don't feel that same sort of responsibility. So, the next best thing that we can do is help to educate our customers about their rights under the Americans With Disability Act (ADA). That is why we have put together this helpful guide explaining how to tell if a business is in compliance with ADA standards and what you can do about it if they're not.

In essence, the ADA (specifically Title III) requires any public entity, for profit and non-profit alike, to remove all physical “barriers” that would inhibit a disabled patron from accessing their goods and services, and to modify any policies or procedures which are discriminatory against disabled people, and to provide aid and services to people who are sight, speech, or hearing impaired in the ways that are “readily achievable.”

The term “readily achievable” allows for variances in the size and resources of each business. For example, a large business with ample resources would be expected to do more to remove barriers than a small business with limited resources. It also allows for changing economic conditions where resources may become more limited. That does not, however, permanently excuse any business from eventually coming into compliance with ADA standards. As resources become available, all businesses are expected to make the necessary changes.

What are the ADA standards?

There are quite a few and there are different conditions for certain facilities, such as those built before 1993, when ADA first went into effect. For the purposes of this article, we'll go over the most important standards. For more details, check out ADA Guide for Small Businesses and 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design.

• Accessible Parking – If public parking is provided for a place of business, accessible parking is also required, if readily achievable. Accessible parking is defined as a clearly marked spot (using the international sign of accessibility), that is at least 8-feet-wide and has a designated access aisle that is at least 5-feet-wide to either the right or left of the space. A van-accessible space requires an access aisle that is at least 8 ft. wide to allow for a person using a scooter or wheelchair to exit the vehicle using a side-mounted lift. One of eight of all accessible parking spaces must be van-accessible. These spaces should be located as close as possible to the accessible entrance and must have an accessible route connecting them that cannot comprise of any stairs or steep slopes.

• Accessible Entrance – All businesses are required to provide an accessible entrance, if readily achievable. This can be accomplished by either having:

   

  • A sufficiently wide entrance (36-inches) on level ground

   

  • Adding an ADA-compliant ramp, installing a lift – both of which Amramp specializes in installating

  • Offering an alternate accessible entrance whose location is clearly indicated with a sign

It is also important that the door hardware is usable by people who might have difficulty grasping, such as a lever or loop-type handle. If it is not achievable to have an accessible entrance, the goods and services must be provided in some other way. This could be home delivery, take-out, curbside delivery, or some alternate service. .

• Maneuvering Space – When determining the space between shelves and displays, businesses should maintain a width of 36-inches, if readily achievable. Also, if there are steps within a facility that makes some parts of a business inaccessible, the business must make those goods available to everyone by

  • Adding a ramp or lift

  • Having staff to retrieve those items

Staff is also responsible for retrieving items that are out of reach of someone using a mobility device and providing information about a product or service to someone who is visually impaired.

• Accessible Counters and Seating – An accessible sales or service counter should be at least 36-inches-long and no more than 36-inches-tall, if readily achievable. A food service counter, on the other hand, should be at least 60-inches-long and no more than 34-inches-tall, if readily achievable. If tables are provided and some are fixed (attached to the wall or floor) at least 5% of the tables must be accessible to be compliant. This means a surface height somewhere between 28-and-34-inches-tall. A clear floor area of 30-inches-by-48 inches is also required and it must extend 19-inches under the table to provide leg and knee clearance. These specifications apply to both indoor and outdoor seating.

• Policies and Communication – ADA standards also require businesses to examine their policies and procedures and change any that could be discriminatory against those with disabilities. This is referring to things like allowing service animals in a store that would usually not allow any animals or keeping open checkout counters that can accommodate those using a mobility device. It also requires businesses to review communication between staff and disabled customers, such as writing notes for people with hearing or speech disabilities and making it easier for customers who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD).

Should you find that any business is not in compliance with these standards, you can file a complaint of Title III violations with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). If you have any questions about ADA you can also call the Department of Justice ADA Information Line, toll-free (1-800-514-0301 voice and 1-800-514-0383 TDD).

If you are a business owner needing assistance with ADA compliance, Amramp’s accessibility experts can help.

 If you are a business who wants to be fully compliant with ADA standards

Call Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate

Please contact Amramp’s National Customer Service Center 888-715-7598

Recap of Abilities Expo 2015 in Our Hometown of Boston! 

Amramp had an exciting weekend at this year's Abilities Expo, which was held the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (Hall C) September 18-20. This annual convention is unique in that it is geared toward all ages and all disabilities. There was 3 days of workshops, cutting-edge assistive technology, and fun activities for the whole family. Everyone from children with disabilities to aging seniors was welcome and the event was free.

The workshops offered at the conference covered a wide range of topics but some of the highlights included:

• Exoskeleton Technology: A Step for Healthy Living - discussed the history and the future of exoskeleton technology, and how it has affected people who have suffered a spinal cord injury.

• How to Select the Right Accessible Vehicle for You - helped attendees navigate the complicated world of purchasing vans and accessible modifications.

• Wheelchair Travel: You Can Do It! – Attendees learned everything you need to know to travel well as a wheelchair user, discussing everything from how to board plane to what vacations best lend themselves to travelers with mobility concerns. 

Since this conference is, at is core, meant to serve the entire community from children to wounded veterans to seniors, as well as their families and caregivers, there were many fun activities and events for everyone to enjoy, including:

• Service Dog Demonstration - Attendees met several assistance dogs and learned how they help their human partners achieve independence.

• Meet Paralympian Victoria Arlen! – Victoria Arlen, who after being in a vegetative state for nearly four years went on to win both gold and silver medals in swimming at the London Summer 2012 Paralympics, was in attendance at this year’s Abilities Expo. She signed autographs and shared her latest exploits with Project Walk Boston.

• Art Happening! Giant Floor Mural! – Artists and non-artists alike joined Zot Artz Art Happening where they created a floor mural using adapted art tools for walking, rolling, and stamping.

• Walk and Roll Dance Team Performance – Walk and Roll Foundation’s talented wheelchair dance team kicked off the day with a high energy performance and then invited attendees to join them on the dance floor to learn a few moves themselves.

• Cosplay Parade Hosted by Misa on Wheels – All ages joined in the first ever Abilities Expo Cosplay Parade hosted by Misa on Wheels, New England’s Most Notable Cosplayer on Wheels. Everyone came dressed as their favorite character were able to meet fellow cosplayers from the disability community.

Amramp is honored to have been counted among the exhibitors who were demonstrating the most cutting-edge assistive technology including:

• Bathroom equipment

• Beds, furnishings & accessories

• Chairs & accessories

• Clothing & apparel

• Daily living aids

• Durable medical equipment

• Exercise, recreational, sports equipment & services

• Ramps

• Vertical lifts and Stair lifts

• Wheelchairs, scooters & walkers

  
  

We had a great time at Abilities Expo and are looking forward to next year!

Wheelchair ramps installed in days not weeks

Call Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate

Please contact Amramp’s National Customer Service Center 888-715-7598 

Amramp, North America's Leading ramp, will be exhibiting @AbilitiesExpo at the Boston Convention Center this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Amramp is the leading company in the United States and now parts of Canada, specializing in modular steel wheelchair ramps, offering sturdy, customizable ramps for disability access that enable people to remain in their homes with independence and mobility. Ramps can be installed temporarily for short or long term needs without damaging the housing structure as they are not a permanent modification to the home. Amramp products comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and are available for sale or RENT with no minimum time frame and no ramp size restrictions. 

Amramp steel modular ramp systems are safer and last longer than wood ramps. Our ramps are fireproof and provide a stable, non-flammable exit in the case of fire. Wood and aluminum are not fireproof. Our ramps also have a gripping, open mesh surface that is slip resistant and allows water to pass through, preventing puddles, ice and mold build up.

Amramp also installs Vertical Platform Lifts which are used where the length of a ramp might be impractical. Portable wheelchair showers are used when a client cannot utilize the shower or tub facility and does not want to remodel the bathroom. 

Stop by Booth 214 at Abilities Expo to learn more about our modular wheelchair ramps, stairlifts and other accessibility products.

@Amramp - www.amramp.com

@AbilitiesExpo - www.abilities.com

Amramp keeps pool areas safe and accessible for all

The season for backyard barbecues and pool parties is upon us. There is no better way to get the whole family or neighborhood together than with hamburgers, hotdogs, and water sports. What happens when you are unable to take advantage of cooling off in the pool in the beautiful weather due to a physical ailment? 

Many people are misled to believe that wheelchair-accessible pools are only available in public areas or physical therapy centers. But, with Amramp, there are three particular ways to make an ordinary backyard pool wheelchair accessible. 

Now, the whole family can have fun and feel safe together in the pool, with the help of one of these three accessibility products: 

1. Pool Stairs

• Provide assistance from attached handrails when entering or exiting the pool from a standing position
• Must have uniform riser heights and uniform tread widths of 11-inches or more
• Open risers are not permitted 
• Handrails must have a width between 20-24 inches and an extension at the top landing

2. Lifts

• Located where the pool water does not exceed 48-inches and the pool deck is clear
• Can be manually operated, battery operated, or motorized as long as they can be used without assistance
• Seats must be at least 16-inches wide and 16-inches from the edge of the pool
• Must submerge at least 18-inches under water and able to carry at least 300 pounds 

3. Sloped Entries

• Ramp must be at least 36-inches wide and no steeper than an 8.33% slope
• Use with aquatic wheelchairs rather than personal mobility device 
• Submerged depth must be between 24-inches and 30-inches-deep to promote buoyancy
• Handrails must be provided on each side of the slope and be at least 33-inches-wide and 34-inches-high

You may now be thinking: my pool has stairs or sloped entries. In order to be considered accessible, they must abide by Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidlines (ADAAG). Some of these guidelines are outlined above. These rules are designed to ensure safety around the pool and to help prevent accidents. 

"I just wanted to send you a quick hello to say thank you so very much for all of your help in getting my pool lift. I really appreciate all that you have done to help me in the process of obtaining my pool lift. Thank you for also coordinating with the MS Society and my local MS Center. It is fantastic! It helps me get into and out of my pool with such ease! It looks great." Annemarie M. - Peabody, MA

Pool lifts, pool stairs, ramps and other accessibility products installed in days not weeks 

Call Amramp today to schedule a free on-site estimate

Please contact Amramp’s National Customer Service Center 888-715-7598