Wheelchair Lifts for School Stages

Like countless schools across North America, the small town high school in New Jersey had limited funds, but multiple areas where wheelchair access was needed. They had a definite need for wheelchair bound students to be able to access vertical platforms like the stage for various functions and classes.

There were music classes, drama classes, Christmas concerts and graduation ceremonies. The school also had an inaccessible lunchroom, as well as a set of outdoor bleachers to which they wanted to provide wheelchair access for sports events. The middle school and elementary school in the same district had similar requirements in regards to handicap accessibility.

Project Constraints
• The stage was old and had been built at a height of 52” with 3 steps
• The lunchroom was in a different part of the school from the gymnasium
• The lunchroom had a set of stairs rising 36”
• The outdoor bleachers were on the other side of the football field

The Solution
Adaptive provided a manually powered Mobilift CX wheelchair lift c/w a 50” bridge ramp with integral folding handrails and a counterbalance. The CX unit weighs only 268 pounds, comes standard with it’s own wheels and casters, and elevates to a height of 60”.  The manual power feature eliminated the need for electrical rewiring at any of points of use.

The Outcome
The wheelchair lift allowed easy access to the stage and the lunchroom. The lift was used to its full 60" height for the bleacher application so the kids had a great view of the playing field. Rain and inclement weather did not affect the lift due to its aluminum and stainless steel construction.

The lightweight materials used in the wheelchair lift, made it very easy to move from location to location on the school property. Additionally, the School District found that they could easily transport the lift to other schools in the area in the back of any size pickup.