A common challenge associated with wheelchair ramps is providing lighting.
In most cases standard porch lights, which are mounted on an outside wall, adjacent to exterior doors, will not provide enough light to adequately light a wheelchair ramp, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 - Porch light does not provide adequate light for wheelchair ramp
While many homeowners, with wheelchair ramps, attempt to light the wheelchair ramps using spot and flood lights that are mounted to walls and under eves of the house, this type of lighting installation usually ends up creating glare, shadows and dark areas on the wheelchair ramps and landings.
It should also be noted that flood and spot lights can create blinding conditions, for the person in the wheelchair or on a mobility scooter as they move through light and dark areas on the wheelchair ramp.
One of the cleanest and most efficient methods of lighting a wheelchair ramp is to utilize low voltage lighting that was originally developed for decks, as shown in Figures 2 and 3.
Figure 2 - Lit wheelchair ramp
Figure 3 - In deck lighting disc
This lighting is mounted into the floor boards or deck of the wheelchair ramp and provides the wheelchair operator with a lit path up and down the wheelchair ramp, highlighting any landings and turns.
Because the top of the light is flush with the top of the wheelchair ramp floor board, it does not provide any type of obstruction for the smooth operation of a wheelchair or mobility scooter.
To provide ease of operation for the wheelchair or mobiltiy scooter operator, the low voltage wheelchair ramp lighting can be used in conjunction with a motion sensor
Figure 4 - Motion sensor
Figure 5 - Motion sensor mounted at bottom of wheelchair ramp
You can also mount and wire a second motion sensor in parallel with the motion sensor on the front post of the wheelchair ramp, at the top of wheelchair ramp. In this configuration the lights on the wheelchair ramp would turn on when motion is detected either at the top or bottom of the wheelchair ramp.
