Home lifts

Boarding a bus, crossing a street, or withdrawing money from an ATM can become a true odyssey for people with specific types of disability. This problem, which all society should be aware of, is exacerbated further when it starts at home. And this is because some houses do not have doors and corridors that are wide enough to allow people in wheelchairs to move without assistance. Furthermore, many people cannot even go downstairs or upstairs due to the lack of adequate infrastructure to move around. Stair lifts or platforms can be a reliable and easy solution to solve this problem.

What is available in Spain?

The current market offers a wide range of possibilities for providing solutions to the mobility of people with disabilities at home or in public spaces. There are some lifts that are suitable for a short staircase and others for higher ascents, and there are compact ones for a limited space, etc. It is about making a good combination of the need and the budget.

Thus, some of the possibilities available are as follows:

Ordinary stair lifts

These serve to bridge the change in levels covered by stairs. It allows people with disabilities to ascend and descend, whether or not they use wheelchairs. Obviously, space for the lift is required within the stair well. It can be hydraulic or have an electric motor, which can be incorporated onto the actual cabin, so no space is required for machinery above the lift. The prices vary, depending on the number of people they carry and their but they start at around €10,000.

Chair stair lift

These can be installed on straight and curved stairs. The types of models available are manufactured with technology that ensures that the start and finish of the transfer is both smooth and relaxed. Different models have simple fingertip controls. They also have armrests that help and give security while the person climbs into the chair and during the transfer. When not in use, the seat and footrest fold down without obstructing free movement on the steps. This device may be suitable for a person using a walking stick. They are not suitable for people in wheelchairs. Their installation costs around €6,000.

Wheelchair platforms

In certain public or private buildings, which usually have a height gain of between 0.8 and 1.5 metres, it is very practical to install a wheelchair platform. This is an open lifting platform, with railings. This type of device is also often used in owners’ communities where there is already a lift, but also four or five steps to reach it. They usually cost around €8,000. Agreement from the owner’s community is required to install it.

Other lift platforms

Space problems in the home mean that many people with mobility issues cannot enjoy all the rooms in their house. A solution to this problem is a vertical lifting platform. Their main advantage lies in their compact design, which means that they require much less space than other lifts. They do not need a pit or a machine room like the other lifts, which enables simple and low-cost installation.

In addition, the aesthetic design of these lifts makes them easily adaptable to home decoration. They are also often used in public buildings, hotels and restaurants, medical centres, communities of owners and private homes, both for transporting passengers on foot and in wheelchairs. Prices start at around €9,000.

Regulations and Spanish National Accessibility Plan

Society as a whole must be involved in accepting the need to improve mobility conditions for the disabled (9% of the population), according to the Second Spanish Regulations and National Accessibility Plan 2018-2026. The Plan was developed by IMSERSO, as the entity responsible for promoting equal opportunities and improving the quality of life of the groups most affected by barriers: people with disabilities and the elderly.

The plan has been developing actions in different areas: awareness-raising and transcendence campaigns on accessibility, training on accessibility in architecture, computer science or professionals in the sector, studies on the situation of accessibility in different areas, and promotion and improving territorial accessibility plans and promotion of cooperation frameworks between different public administrations.

If we look at the field of transport, according to Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs regulations, 624 architectural and urban accessibility projects will be promoted, 1,664 new accessible urban buses, 1,243 intercity buses and 352 accessible taxis will be co-financed, and 115 will be promoted projects at Renfe railway stations.

Regarding communications, investment will be made to maintain the Deaf Telephone Intermediation Centre, which will be responsible for 1,663,000 actions during the next three years. It will support the presence of sign language interpreters who will act as an interface with public and official entities, together with the promotion of subtitling and audio description, for which a total of 40,800 actions are planned.