Is an Inclined or Vertical Wheelchair Lift Better for your Building?

Before you can begin to choose either an inclined or a vertical wheelchair lift, you have to understand the differences between them. Although both work to carry a wheelchair user to different levels in a home or building, they operate very differently. If you’re having trouble deciding which wheelchair lift is best for your building, keep reading to discover their differences.

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Vertical Wheelchair Lift – The vertical wheelchair lift may be the one that is most common to you. Vertical models are a popular choice and are commonly found in smaller buildings. Vertical wheelchair lifts feature a platform that moves up and down vertically. All the wheelchair user has to do is board the lift, close the gate, and then press the button to ascend or descend. Once the lift brings said persons safely to their desired destination, the person can easily de-board. Vertical wheelchair lifts are popular because they can be installed away from a flight of stairs. As long as there is an open area to act as a landing site for the platform, the vertical lift can be installed virtually anywhere. They are especially great for outdoor usages where lofted decks are not easily accessible for wheelchair users.

Inclined Wheelchair Lift – The inclined wheelchair lift works a bit differently than the vertical wheelchair lift. While the vertical lift takes its passenger to the next level by traveling up and down on a flat, vertical plane,inclined lifts are attached to a flight of stairs and travel up the staircase. These types of wheelchair lifts are not as common as the vertical wheelchair lifts for one reason: The staircase they are attached to must be wide enough to accommodate them. Even more so, after the lift is installed, there must be enough left over room on the staircase for non-lift users. The nice thing about inclined wheelchair lifts is, wherever they’re installed, there will always be a landing. Since they follow the curve of the stairs, you don’t have to worry about clearing a place for the lift.

Hopefully, the previous descriptions have helped you decide which wheelchair option is best for your building. Obviously, if you have staircases that are not large enough to harbor an inclined wheelchair lift, you should probably consider the vertical option. However, if your building can easily be retrofitted with an inclined lift, you’ll be happy to know that you won’t have to make any holes in the ceiling or remove any banisters.