40 chapter 2: Organizing for disability-friendly health care
Build ramps
Ramps make it easier for many people to get in and out of buildings and public
places such as health centers, schools, and libraries. Ramps not only help
wheelchair users, they also help people who have a hard time walking and people
with temporary injuries.
too
steep
good
1
1234
This ramp is 4 times as long as it is high.
It is too steep for most people to use,
except for short distances.
1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Ramps can be between 8 to 12 times as
long as they are high. This ramp is
12 times as long as it is high. This slope is
easier for people who use wheelchairs.
Toilets
If you use a wheelchair, toilets should have enough space for you to
move around and transfer from your chair onto the toilet seat. It is
easiest for you to get onto the seat if the toilet is at the same height
or a little lower than your wheelchair seat. If there is not a seat (in a
squatting toilet or latrine), or if the seat is too low, you can make a
simple box seat with hand-holds and an opening. You can also put a
bar or a hand-hold on the wall so you do not fall (see page 123.)
Hospital beds
Many people, not just people with disabilities, complain
that hospital beds are difficult to get onto. These beds
are usually higher off the ground or floor than the beds
people sleep in at home. It is easier for health workers
to take care of sick people if they do not have to bend
down to reach them in a lower bed.
But when people are sick or disabled, getting onto a
high bed can be very difficult. And because the beds usually also
have wheels, it can be dangerous, because the bed can start to
roll away from the person who is trying to get onto it.
If some beds in a health center have no wheels and are
low to the ground, everyone could choose the bed that
works best for them.
A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities 2007