Technical Solutions Australia...
The TS Files

TS File #..3

Environmental Control System:

Client: A wheelchair bound student with cerebral palsy. Needed access to the three floor High School building.

Device to be operated: It’s (almost) a lift with no buttons.

Technical Solutions tackles accessible lifts

Control buttons on new lifts must now be placed in locations suitable for wheelchair users – but how can existing lifts be made accessible in a cost effective way? And what about wheelchair users who can’t reach any buttons?
This situation recently arose when a High School accepted a wheelchair bound student with cerebral palsy. The school’s lift ran between three floors, and was the only alternative to stairs.
Inside the lift, the buttons were at a suitable height, and the student could reach them. The call buttons on each floor presented a problem. They were built into the concrete lift shaft, and pushed close against walls running off at right angles – it was not possible to get a wheelchair in close enough to reach the buttons.

The lift was also classified as “restricted use”, which meant a key switch had to be operated to call the lift – not possible for our student.

The student’s father contacted Technical Solutions after visiting our www site. We proposed adding an infra red remote control facility to the lift, which would be operated by a small transmitter attached to the student’s chair. A receiver would connect into the call button circuit at each floor. This could be easily achieved, using products from Swedish manufacturer, Gewa.

The NSW Workcover Authority, who certifies lifts for operation, then threw up an additional challenge. The lift also had a keyswitch inside the car which had to remain operational. We had hoped to just leave this unlocked. We proposed we fit another infra red receiver inside the lift with a timer. Once the lift doors opened, the student would operate the transmitter again which would ”unlock” the buttons.

Did you know that you can subscribe to our email list
and receive updates when we add new articles to the TS Files. Simply click the following link and type 'TS Files' as the subject. Feel free to suggest topics for future TS Files in the email body and make sure to provide your email address if you are not sending this from your own computer. Click to email and subscribe
(You can unsubscribe at any time)