Lifts and Ramps in Malta

28 May 2013: Today I would like to share more of my experience in Malta. I found the lifts and ramps really interesting,

In Australia you know that most ramps are going to be of an Australian Standard and easy to access. Lifts in Australia are always big enough to take a wheelchair.

So, the first day I needed to get into a church for my grandmother's funeral – we found a ramp – yay! But it was a really steep one that needed two people to take me up (and I'm a lightweight!).

Another small ramp we found to get off the pavement onto the road was made with no formwork and had a chunk taken out the side for drainage purposes. It would be very easy to have your front wheel catch in the gap and send you flying.

When I heard that my Aunt and Uncle had moved to a block of flats that had a lift I was sooo excited. Easy access and no more stairs! To get into their lift however, I had to remove the footplates off my wheelchair to get the chair in.

At my cousins place I had to get off the wheelchair and crawl into the lift as the open wheelchair did not fit through the doors of the lift.

As I was only in Malta for a short period of time I chose to see the lift and ramp issues as a fun challenge. I think that if I lived in Malta long term it would grate on me that every place you go there are difficulties because a lift is not big enough or a ramp is too steep.