If you or someone you know is in a wheelchair, having a folding wheelchair ramp is imperative. You probably have experienced how difficult it can be to go visiting friends or family who don't exactly have wheelchair accessible homes. Most public places are currently wheelchair accessible, so the difficulty comes primarily when someone in a wheelchair tries to visit people in their homes.

Front walk ways are often designed with several steps, leading up a path. These are challenging, if not impossible, for individuals in a wheelchair without a wheelchair ramp. Sometimes, between rooms in personal homes there are slight level changes, for a sunken living room for example. Small, portable folding ramps can ease the transition moving from one room to the next. There is no reason for individuals in wheelchairs to avoid visiting friends and family when they have folding wheelchair ramps.

Fortunately, there are many companies who have created portable folding wheelchair ramps that let wheelchairs go everywhere there is a slight incline or step. They make it possible for wheelchairs to go up several landings, as is common for personal homes and front walk ways. They also make it possible for people in a wheelchair to get into mini vans or full sized vans that are not wheelchair ramp equipped.

This allows you to make any van a handicapped accessible van, and for much less money. Folding wheelchair ramps feature handles so you can carry them as you would a suitcase, for ease in portability. They come in many different materials, sizes and styles, although the majority of ramps are made from aluminum. Aluminum is a light weight material that makes for great folding wheelchair ramps since they can support quite a bit of weight without bending or breaking.

Single Folding Wheelchair Ramps

Several styles of aluminum ramps have a single fold construction, and can support up to 600 pounds. They are available in a few different widths to accommodate a variety of wheelchair styles. Most feature a slight 'curb' around the edge to keep your wheelchair from accidently rolling off the side, and a rippled or bumpy surface to help give your wheels traction when going up the ramp.

Triple Folding Wheelchair Ramps

Tri-fold wheelchair ramps are able to accommodate the length that is required to access vans, steps, and raised landings that many of the single folding wheelchair ramps are unable to handle. Having a ramp that folds three times means the design is very compact, and allows for easy portability despite the longer ramp design. Some tri-folding wheelchair ramps are created in two sections that you can fold seperately- meaning the weight of each piece is less than if you had to manuever the entire ramp all together. Tri-folding ramps can typically support up to 800 pounds, which means they can handle both manual wheelchairs and power wheelchairs, as well as full sized scooters.

Folding Wheelchair Ramps with Handrails

Another style of ramp features handrails. Some have a single handrail along one side, while others have handrails along both sides of the ramp. When the ramp is in place, the handrail is at the appropriate level to allow a person in a wheelchair to use it to help pull themself up the ramp. When the ramp is folded up for portability, the handrail simply folds underneath or overtop the ramp. This particular style then is carried by the folded up handrail- which becomes the carrying handle. Ramps with handrails come in all different sizes and widths to accommodate every situation and style of wheelchair.