Opinion ID: 2633435
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: The Wheelchair Ramp

Text: Beginning with her use of a wheelchair in April 1988, Richards had a problem traversing the wheelchair ramp leading to CH2M Hill's offices. Whenever it rained, the lawns were watered, or the water fountain at the top of the ramp overflowed, the ramp would become slippery, causing Richards's manual wheelchair to hydroplane. On such occasions, she needed to muscle her way up or get a running start. In her October 1990 memo to Uhouse, Richards suggested that nonskid tape be applied to the ramp, which she estimated would have cost approximately $30. In the alternative, she suggested that drainage grooves be cut into the ramp. In October or November 1990, the building handyman applied a substance to the ramp in an effort to improve traction, but the repair was ineffectual. Richards continued to raise the issue with Uhouse, but the ramp was never modified to Richards's satisfaction. In January or February 1991, however, Richards began using a power wheelchair, which was unaffected by wet conditions on the ramp.