Wheelchair stair lift

View more of are case study examples on our projects page

There are certain advantages of installing a wheelchair stair lift instead of using a ramp. The most common mistake made when building a ramp is that that it can often be too steep or too long, thus nullifying the advantages of using a smooth slope as opposed to being pulled up a flight of steps. However, just as with the ramp, there is a fine art to building a wheelchair stair lift that makes it simpler for disabled people to use.

Most importantly, the platform has to be a level surface which is smooth enough to allow people to drive a wheelchair on and off but with enough friction to ensure the wheelchair remains stationary when the lift goes up or down. In the event of the wheelchair moving around, there has to be a safety feature to prevent the user from falling off. A wheel-stop around the edge does the trick quite well but above a certain height it is mandatory to have a barriers surrounding the platform. These could be rising barriers or stationary ones, but they also have to be high enough to prevent a big fall.

At Sesame Access, we specialise in building bespoke wheelchair stair lifts for disabled access to public buildings using cutting edge technology. They are easier to fit than ramps mainly since they can take up far less space, especially when building indoors. Many of our lifts are fitted with a mobile staircase that is specifically clad to mimic the surroundings so that it becomes part of the natural environment. When the lift starts working, the steps can slide away and allow the wheelchair stair lift to be exposed. The fitted buttons make the lift rise or descend as is required and when the wheelchair user is safely off again, the lift can lower and the retracting staircase move back into its original position.

The other major consideration is the weight limit necessary to ensure that the wheelchair stair lift has no chance of breaking down. While our lifts can deal with any weight up to 2 tonnes, our weight limit is set at 350kg so as to reduce wear and stress on the lift and provide maximum security to the user.

Finally, the wheelchair stair lift has to be reliable and durable enough to work over many years without developing any major snags that could take a while to repair. Our team of engineers are very experienced and knowledgeable about building a high quality product and are always available to do any servicing to ensure that the wheelchair stair lift will continue to work for as long as required.

As an example case study, one of our lifts currently installed consists of 6 moving stairs and 1 fixed step with a service hatch, complete with controls, handrails, emergency key switches and 2 buttons stations, one at ground level and the other on the upper level.

Please take a moment to read about some of our other options, including the vertical lift platforms.