- Platform lifts for wheelchairs are a type of access lift that travels between floors of your home or office. Functioning much like a small elevator, the wheelchair-bound person can put himself into the lift and move from floor to floor with an easily navigable control panel. Many platform lifts also feature control panels outside the lift for caretakers. The wheelchair is secured on the platform by a bar or door, and the lift moves more slowly than a standard elevator, allowing for greater safety. Coming in many different models, platform lifts are typically open and take up a smaller amount of space than standard elevators. Platform lifts are available for home, domestic and vehicle use.
- Stair lifts are mechanized systems installed directly onto a staircase to easily transport a disabled person from floor to floor. These systems feature an electrical rail which slowly moves an attached chair up and down the stairs. Stair lifts are custom-made to fit home and business staircases. While these systems take up less room than their platform lift counterparts, they do require that the disabled person be able to get in and out of the attached chair on her own, or with the help of a caretaker. Stair lifts can be operated with both batteries and electricity, and can generally accommodate a capacity of up to 500 pounds.
- Wheelchair lifts are a version of platform lifts that travel along the perimeter of a staircase rather than through floors. These lifts feature a roll-on ramp and safety bar to allow the disabled to easily mount the system. The lift is then easily transported up and down the staircase using a built-in control system, traveling on tubular rails attached to the side of the staircase. Unlike chair lifts, wheelchair lifts allow the disabled to travel up and down stairs without getting out of their wheelchairs. Additionally, wheelchair lifts can be installed on curving or straight staircases of up to seven floors.
- The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was the first legislation passed in America to regulate accessibility to all buildings for wheelchair-bound persons. According to Title III of the Act, all new construction was to be compliant with accessibility regulations, so that the disabled can easily enter and leave public facilities. Additional regulations were also established for the modification of previously constructed buildings to allow for wheelchair accessibility. Many buildings that were built prior to 1990 added wheelchair ramps to comply with the regulations. Additionally, many public buildings with staircases and no elevators used access lifts of various types to comply with the new federal regulations.