Installing Wheel Chair Lifts Is Harder Than Installing Wheel Chair Ramps

If you have never installed a wheel chair lift – or a mobility lift as they are called nowadays – you are lucky. My business deals with a lot of handicapped people. At first, I thought putting in a wheel chair ramp would be enough. I've seen many people using the library, having no problem getting up the wheel chair ramps in front of it.  Unfortunately, this is not enough for a lot of our clients. They will not push themselves up a ramp on their own power. If a medical supply business does not have wheel chair lifts, it will not get their business.

I didn't really realize that this was the reason I was losing business until I asked one of my former clients why she doesn't come by anymore. She told me that the big new medical supply superstore down the street had installed wheel chair lifts. She always would complain about her arthritis, but nowadays she was using an electric scooter. I didn't understand what she needed wheel chair lifts for. I asked her if the Scooter wasn't enough. She got offended. She claimed that it was scary going up the ramp, and that it would burn out the battery. Without wheel chair lifts, she would not even go into a building. I cannot imagine the kind of hassle this caused for her family.

Anyway, installing wheel chair lifts is nowhere near as easy as installing a wheel chair ramp. 9 times out of 10, wheel chair ramps can simply be added on to the front of the building. You attach it to the steps and that is it. If it is not quite the right height, you can adjust it.  wheel chair lifts are another problem altogether. You have to do a major renovation to install wheel chair lifts. I had to tear out a whole hallway.

At first, I thought that I could install wheel chair lifts on my own. I am reasonably good with my hands, and have done a lot of home maintenance. It turns out that wheel chair lifts can only be installed by a professional. Not only are they no quite complicated and prone to failure, but they are actually illegal to install by yourself. Even if I wanted to, I would not allowed to install my own wheel chair lifts. At least that is what the city worker who I asked told me. At that point in time, I was so burned out on trying to get everything working that it was worth paying the extra money anyway.