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A disabled woman finds DIY solution for access
A HANDICAPPED woman surnamed Jia recently installed an escalator-like device in her apartment in the Jinhui Garden complex at her own expense.
The district government has said it wants to install elevators in older residential blocks that don’t have them to help elderly and disabled people living there. But the plan has been delayed by cost and some concerns about safety issues in old buildings.
Jia, 49, lives on the top floor of a seven-story building that has no elevator. Getting up and down stairs became so hard that she was drawn to a device she saw on television ads. It looked a bit like an escalator and could be installed without harming the original staircase, the ad claimed.
The device is attached to the handrails. The user steps on the footpad and is transported up or down stairs.
“I have a knee injury that makes it difficult for me to walk, much less climb steps,” said Jia. “I thought the device might be just what I needed, and since it wouldn’t really inconvenience any of my neighbors, I decided to give it a try.”
She consulted her neighbors before buying the device and met no opposition. In fact, most residents applauded the idea. She had the device installed from the fifth to the seventh floor at a cost of 80,000 yuan (US$11,990).
“I don’t mind if other people use it,” she said. “Maybe I will install more devices from the ground floor to the fifth floor if other residents agree.”
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