The ability to safely enter and exit a building is something many of us may take for granted. And yet, for a significant portion of the population, accessibility is a daily challenge.
“We have to remember that people with disabilities face obstacles that others might not see,” says Christian King, General Manager with Kee Safety Ltd. “For example, getting into a home, building, or even a vehicle is something you might do every day without thinking about it, but for a person in a wheelchair, those tasks can be difficult without support.”
Property managers and owners have done well to provide that accessibility support over the years. Similarly, modern buildings are being designed, developed, and retrofitted to optimize accessibility for all building occupants and visitors. This progress notwithstanding, however, there are always opportunities to improve and innovate the ways to make buildings safer and more welcoming for all that pass through their doors.
Upholding expectations
It goes without saying that accessibility is more than a “nice to have.” Today, property stakeholders are compelled to make building accessibility a priority in order to fill their units, keep occupants and visitors safe, and comply with ever-evolving accessibility guidelines and regulations.
Surely, compliance is a big driver for building accessibility. Nationwide initiatives like the Accessible Canada Act and provincial/territorial mandates such as the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) spell out specific expectations concerning accessible buildings while building codes from coast to coast also hold asset owners and managers to similar standards. What’s more, the regulatory landscape is continually adapting as jurisdictions across the country share best practices and strategies between borders and move towards broader, global standards.
Portaramp: A case study in building accessibility
Work is being done at a high level to make building accessibility a priority. On the ground floor, however, accessibility specialists and innovators in the private sector are also drawing on modern practices, equipment, and technology to help people with disabilities navigate their built environments.
One case in point is Portaramp, a company out of Concord, Ontario, that is clearing a path for portable ramp solutions. Its Portaramp Portable Ramp, for example, is a foldable and slip-resistant ramp made from lightweight aluminum designed for quick deployment when people with disabilities require safe access to their homes, work, shops, restaurants, and everywhere in between. The intent, according to the disability access ramp maker, is to replace permanent ramps with provide a portable, affordable, and easily storable alternative.
“Some buildings weren’t initially designed for permanent ramps, while others have areas where adding one isn’t really possible,” says King, adding, “With a portable accessibility solution like Portaramp, It’s about making accessibility as easy to establish, both for property managers and the people they serve.”
Portaramp’s portable ramp is an example of a simple and effective solution for making buildings safer for all occupants and visitors and keeping property stakeholders in compliance with evolving accessibility regulations. And naturally, accessibility products like these have been adapted for use in assisting individuals with disabilities in other areas of their active lives. Portaramp’s safe access ramps for rail, for example, offer equally portable and convenient solutions to help those with wheelchairs safely enter and exit trains.
Whether the goal is to build inclusive homes or safer transit, accessibility counts. And with a growing portfolio of access ramp solutions, such as its flat panel ramp, trio ramp, travel ramp, and door wedge ramp, Portaramp is also an example of the innovators making Canada’s built environment more inclusive for all.
For more information on Portaramp and its accessibility ramp products, www.portaramp.ca.
