Citation

Vredenburgh AG, Hedge A, Zackowitz IB, Welner JM. J. Archit. Plann. Res. 2009; 26(2): 145-158.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Locke Science Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The use of ramps to improve building accessibility for wheelchair users is required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, and various building codes, all of which specify requirements for ramp design, including their maximum running slope and cross slope. Design recommendations for either the running slope or the cross slope requirements are based on limited empirical research. This study evaluated the degree to which users of manual and motorized wheelchairs could perceive differences in the running slope or in the cross slope of ramps and in the perceived effort (Borg scale) required to negotiate these ramps. Participants traversed two adjoining ramps with different combinations of running slope and cross slope and made comparative judgments of slope differences. Results suggest that for a transit distance up to 6 m (20 ft), a ramp should not exceed a maximum cross slope of 5% or a maximum running slope of 7%.