When it comes to climbing the stairs in your home, and your disability that requires a wheel chair, short of installing a full-blown residential elevator, you essentially have two choices. Either you go with a regular chair elevator, an elevator that has a seat installed on top of the carriage, or you use a platform lift. Let's look at both possibilities in more detail. By the time you're done reading you should have a good understanding of your options, and might have an idea which of the two wheel chair elevator options would work best for you.

Chair elevator using a seat

If you are wheel chair bound, and spend most of your waking hours in a wheelchair, then it makes sense to have a wheelchair in each of the floors. You will still need help to get from a wheelchair into a chair elevator seat, and out of it into another wheelchair. Or, when you are strong enough to move yourself, you may not need help with that. The chair elevator option is usually less expensive option compared with the stair wheelchair lift solutions. Also, it takes up less space when stored and when in action.

Another consideration you need to make is the paperwork or the approvals that you need. Many states and municipalities do not require any approvals for chair elevators mounted on stairs in private houses. Others may require permits for any kind of handicapped chair lifts, especially if they are outside the house. However, to be sure, check with your local municipality for any building codes, and any laws that may apply.

Some of the most well known stair chair elevator manufacturers are: TK Access, Acorn, Bruno, Harmar, Sterling, Brooks, Minivator, Ameriglide, Savaria, and Stannah.

Platform lift, or a platform elevator

The other option is to, instead of installing a chair elevator, or a chair stair lift, to install a vertical, or even inclined platform lift or a platform elevator. The platforms are usually made of steel. That platform should be big enough and have sufficient weight capacity to accommodate your wheelchair with you in it, and also be small enough to fit on the stairs you need it for.

A platform lift is usually big enough to contain a small seat that you can use as a transportation alternative. A vertical or an inclined platform lift will therefore save you from needing a separate wheel chair in each floor, and also, will save you from needing to transfer from a wheel chair to the chair elevator seat and back at the end of the ride.

The paperwork that is necessary to get before you can put the platform lift into use, will depend on the type of the establishment you are installing the platform lift in. The public buildings will need different paperwork than private businesses. Many municipalities even require permits to install platform lifts within individual's houses. Be sure to comply with all the municipal regulations and building codes, and then state, and any federal laws that may apply.

Some of the best known inclined platform lift or inclined wheelchair lift manufacturers are TK Access, Garaventa, and Savaria. The most well known manufacturers of vertical platform lifts or vertical wheelchair platform lifts are Bruno, Garaventa, Savaria, TK Access.

Be sure to do your research to find out which of these brands could provide the best wheel chair elevator solution for your needs.