Initiative Description
Accessing one’s home for some residents who have problems with balance or who use a wheelchair, scooter, or walker is a major issue in Wyoming. Many homes in Wyoming are not equipped with ramps or zero-degree thresholds at their entrances. Steps are unsafe obstacles that may prevent a person from returning home after a hospital stay or possibly prevent a person from getting out into their community and ultimately impacting their quality of life. Responding to this critical and urgent need, the WyRamp Project was created. Covering Lander, Laramie, and Torrington, the WyRamp Project is a temporary ramp loan program that increases safety and access to Wyoming residents’ homes. The WyRamp Project provides short-term ramps, education and guidance in acquiring a permanent ramp when needed, and ramp resources at no cost. The WyRamp Project is a collaboration between the Wyoming Assistive Technology Resources, Wyoming Life Resource Center, and Goshen County Senior Friendship Center and was funded in part by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.
Lessons Learned/Replication
The WyRamp Project has learned that this is a highly needed resource throughout Wyoming. While the three sites only reach surrounding areas, we are seeing a need for a ramp program in other communities. We have five people on the waitlist that reside outside of the three site service areas. Two of those on the waitlist live in Cheyenne, in addition, all of the veterans ramps that have been donated have come from Cheyenne. From this, it appears that identifying and recruiting a Cheyenne agency will be high priority. As we look to recruit other sites, we will rely on the many lessons learned from this initial startup year. We will work to refine our ramp loan program model. This will provide clear guidance and support for moving into other regions of Wyoming. We will build from our State to State Agency Contract with Wyoming Life Resource Center to help delineate activities and provide clear communication with new sites. We will utilize the existing online training course, WyRamp forms and surveys, and ramp installation knowledge to better guide and mentor future sites.