Anthony, 49, has cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user. Anthony’s mom, Catherine, who is also his caregiver, contacted Disability Network in hopes of replacing a ramp that had been built on their home 17 years ago. The ramp was not only in poor condition but it was never built to code. The landing and the turn were too narrow making it difficult for Catherine to turn Anthony’s wheelchair around to get into their home. Also, the placement of the ramp was unsafe in the colder months when water would run off from the roof and freeze onto the ramp, creating slick spots. During the winter, Anthony rarely left the house because the ramp was so dangerous.
Through our Ramp Up program, we coordinated funding and builders for a ramp. Disability Network staff did a home visit to begin the paperwork and the builders conducted a site visit. Staff obtained the materials list and then COVID-19 hit. Because of the pandemic, ramp building was halted for several months. Once progress resumed, the old ramp was removed by friends and family and a new one was built by Ramp Up volunteers. The ramp was built further away from the house to eliminate water run-off from the roof. Catherine is very thankful that with the new ramp she can safely get Anthony in and out of the house and catch up on appointments that were long overdue. They enjoy spending time on the ramp as the landings are larger and accommodate his wheelchair better; they both enjoy looking at Catherine’s beautiful flower gardens or watching her grand-kids jump on the trampoline.
2021 RAMP-A-THON Corporate Sponsors
The success of our Ramp Up program is due in part to the support of our RAMP-A-THON Corporate Sponsors. We appreciate the support of Allied Mechanical Services, AVID (Awareness of Visible and Invisible Disabilities) an Employee Resource Group for Whirlpool, Charles River Laboratories, Integrity Back & Brain, Kalsec, Senior Services of Southwest Michigan, and Paragon Ophthalmology.
