Miniature step ladder
An 11 year old girl of restricted growth was to start secondary school. She would use a powered wheelchair for mobility most of the time but needed to leave the chair for use of the lavatory and for PE lessons.
A small stepladder with hand rails was made to allow her to climb into and out of the wheelchair and also to access the toilet without the school teaching assistant having to lift her.The steps were made from the parts of an ordinary household stepladder.
The height required was less than half the height of the original steps so the thinner rear rail was used for both front and back of the small ladder. This allowed the steps to be fixed at a shallower angle and only 75 mm rise which allowed her to climb them easily. The geometry of the top platform had to be modified to suit the lower angle. Height of platform was 430 mm and construction was mainly with pop rivets.
The young girl gets a sense of independence by being more mobile without having to be lifted.
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