In today's world we have become accustomed to seeing wheelchair ramps leading into most public buildings. They are commonplace, allowing the disabled easier access to government offices, retail stores, and almost anywhere they could need to go, than they would have if no ramp was present. Although these wheelchair ramps are commonplace today, they were not always so readily available.

It seems surprising that we, as a society, had to be told it might be a good idea to make buildings more accessible to those who do not have the ability to walk into a building the same way everyone else does, but it is true. It literally took an act of congress to get wheelchair ramps to be the rule rather than the exception.

That act of congress was a law called the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and it was signed into law in July of 1990. It is largely responsible for a large number of the wheelchair ramps we see leading to public buildings of all kinds today. It is responsible for a lot of other changes as well and the ADA has certainly not been without its share of controversy.

Of course when we talk about wheelchair ramps we are not limited to talking about permanent structures that allow access to buildings. Wheelchair ramps are also responsible for allowing the disabled easier access to their vehicles. In addition to the functional wheelchair lift, a device which works like a mini-elevator to literally raise a wheelchair into a van or load it onto the back of a car or other vehicle, a wheelchair ramp can be extended fro a vehicle, allowing the person with a disability to roll up and into the vehicle under her own (or her wheelchair's) power.

There are both up and down sides to using a wheelchair ramp as opposed to a wheelchair lift to enter a vehicle such as a van. It is more difficult for some people to wheel their way up a steeply inclined ramp, for example, and most will need assistance in using a wheelchair ramp as opposed to an actual lift which many can use by themselves.

A ramp requires more room than a lift as well, which makes it difficult to use a ramp in some places like a crowded parking lot. Ramp positives include the added exercise a person with a disability is able to get working her way up a ramp rather than riding on a lift and the ability to get into a vehicle without the use of its power supply if necessary.

All in all, however we usually find wheelchair lifts on vehicles and wheelchair ramps on buildings. Sadly, not all buildings are currently wheelchair accessible and not all buildings have wheelchair ramps, nor are they required to under the provisions of the ADA. Even now, fifteen years after the ADA was signed into law, we still apparently have to be told when it is a good idea to allow the disables access to a building via a wheelchair ramp.

Still, we can be proud of just how far we have come in our efforts to make it a more readily accessible world for those with disabilities. All government buildings and offices are now wheelchair accessible, as are most public shopping centers and medical buildings. It may be a long time before absolutely everyplace in the country is accessible, but we are well on our way and wheelchair ramps are just the beginning.