News & Tips

Create access for a loved one. Borrow a wheelchair accessible ramp from your State AT Program! 
Did you know that many State AT Programs provide temporary ramps for wheelchair access free of charge to borrowers who request them?
Services range from portable ramps available to pick up to professional home evaluations and installation. Most programs loan ramps for two to four weeks at a time (with some longer loans available).
Below, Henry Oliveira celebrates his 100th birthday at the home of his son and daughter-in-law thanks to portable ramps on loan from the Massachusetts AT Program, MassMATCH.

Portable ramps also create access to unique experiences. In Wisconsin, portable ramps have made possible accessible fishing adventures. In Montana, temporary ramps are used with accessible catarafts!

This month, Oklahoma ABLE Tech received word of a new Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation grant award to expand the number and variety of ramps they have to loan statewide.
Virginia also loans ramps with assistance from the Reeve Foundation. The VATS Ramps and Accessible Pathways Program has six portable accessibility kits placed with regional Vocational Rehabilitation offices and one nonprofit.
The temporary ramp pictured below on the left was installed by the engineering shop of a local VR office while the resident waited for his permanent home modifications. The ramp on the right is another impressive ramp installed by VATS. State AT Programs assist residents with new disabilities to discharge home instead of to a nursing home by installing portable ramps.

Maryland’s AT Program (MDTAP) expanded its Statewide Portable Ramp Access Project last year. Now ramps of varying sizes are available from six local disability organizations so residents don’t have to travel far to access what they need.
West Virginia’s AT Program, WVATS, also loans portable ramps and reminds us there is a range of equipment to consider borrowing for easier holiday visiting.
Additional State AT Programs with ramps to loan include New Mexico, Mississippi, Idaho, Nebraska, Iowa, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Arizona. Ramp sizes and availability vary depending on inventory and demand. Find your State or Territory AT Program and explore equipment online, by phone and in-person. Learn what ramps may be available to you and your family this holiday season.
Wheelchair ramp specifications