Accessibility is a prevalent issue globally. In Uganda, people with disabilities face challenges in public spaces. This issue is particularly prevalent in public transport, and housing, and can also be seen in personal accommodation facilities.
To help assist those with disabilities, a team of students from the Uganda Section has worked with the National Union of Disabled Persons Uganda to create an automated ramp. The team is also working with high school students from Intinda View Secondary School.
The automated ramp is a convertible system of functional stairs that becomes a ramp for wheelchairs. It has a lever that, when pushed, turns a flight of stairs into a ramp.
The project has two modules of this ramp: a stair module for buildings with stairs and storied buildings, and a non-staired module for uses in places like homes and buses.
The devices aim to be low-cost, easy to install and require minimal maintenance.
This project was made possible by a $6,023.00 grant from EPICS in IEEE.