For Advice on Accessibility, Look to Iceland

A small organization that began in Reykjavík, Iceland has grown into a veritable movement, installing almost 2,000 wheelchair ramps in public spaces all over the country where accessibility was an issue. As Margaret Andersen explains in Fast Company, “In many older cities around the world, accessibility standards are inconsistent, and the push to retrofit historic areas is often delayed or deprioritized in favor of architectural preservation.”

The project, called Ramp Up Iceland, designs ramps individualized to each location that work with existing materials and aesthetics. “In many cases, passersby wouldn’t even notice modifications to the historic buildings because the ramps are intentional design choices built into the urban environment.” The project was initially started and funded by Haraldur “Halli” Thorleifsson, a tech entrepreneur who uses a wheelchair, but has grown into a partnership with local governments and other groups. 

A study conducted in the United States, where federal law technically requires accessibility in all public spaces, found that 60 percent of people with a disability were unable to complete a necessary task because they couldn’t access a building, and sidewalks and transit facilities remain inaccessible in many U.S. cities.