DDA is an abbreviation for the Disability Discrimination Act which applies to individuals who have disabilities in their life. The act is to help the lives of people with disabilities easier and covers all aspects of public transportation, employment and education. Public and commercial buildings that are accessible need to adhere to the DDA as access in the building and around the building has to cater for individuals with disabilities. The DDA recommends that buildings should be installed with passenger lifts which carry individuals up and down stairs within a building.
The most common type of lift for people with disabilities is a platform lift. Platform lifts are most suitably designed to transport wheelchair users safely from ground floor level to upper levels. Different types of platform lifts are available for disabled people who use wheelchairs to move around, these include hydraulic wheelchair lifts, electric wheelchair lifts and stair lifts. Having a platform lift installed for wheelchair access avoids the need of having a ramp installed which can be quite costly.
Installing suitable platform lifts can also help with access as they can transport people from floor to floor quickly and safely. Larger commercial models can rise to a height of 9 metres and even higher. Passenger lifts are important and very convenient in larger commercial premises as they allow individuals to quickly and safely exit the building and enter the building. Not having the correct access into your building can make it incredibly difficult for disabled people as without passenger lifts they are unable to move around easily.
As well as passenger lifts being convenient they are also attractive. No longer are passenger lifts ugly grey monstrosities, there is a choice of colour, styles and you can even choose the passenger lift decor to match the rest of the building allowing it to blend in with its surroundings. Whatever your platform lift requirements they come in many different styles to suit your needs. You can have vertical lifts that will transport individuals up to 9 metres and you can even have models attached to stairs enabling people to travel up and down stairs easily and safely.
Under the Disability Discrimination Act all building owners must provide easy access for entry and exit into buildings. It is their responsibility to ensure that buildings are accessible for all types of people disabled or not, this can be done by ensuring that all lifts fully comply with the DDA.
Perry Manku
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
