Red text reading "RAMP UP"

Making the world accessible. one ramp at a time.

A young girl in a blue sweater and floral dress sits in a wheelchair cutting a red ribbon at a ceremony, surrounded by a crowd of people holding cameras and balloons. The event is outdoors.
Front entrance of an art gallery with a brown door and green-framed windows displaying artwork and featuring the word 'MUT' in large letters.

What we do

One step can stop someone in their tracks. A ramp turns that obstacle into an invitation—for wheelchair users, people with assistive devices, and parents with strollers to move freely and independently.

ramp examples

Entrance of Flying Tiger Copenhagen store, with glass doors displaying a poster, flanked by large windows and a ramp on the left.
Storefront of "epal Icelandic Design" with red signage, large windows, and a glass door. The building features a corrugated metal and beige wall exterior. The sidewalk is made of interlocking pavers.
Two large polar bear statues in front of a gift shop entrance on a city street.
Facade of Sandholt bakery in Reykjavik with a wooden door, glass window displaying baked goods, and signage displaying the name and city.
Street view with modern building featuring large glass windows reflecting older buildings, sidewalk with curved paving, and minimal graffiti on a wall.
Exterior of a building with large windows and a sign that says 'Sand Bar'. The sidewalk features a ramp. Urban setting, daytime.
Storefront of a jewelry shop called Aurum, featuring a glass door and large window display with a sidewalk outside.
Storefront with "Sjáðu" sign, blue door, and adjacent tattoo studio, located on a city street, featuring large windows and cobblestone sidewalk.

why ramps?

cheap

By building at scale we are able to reduce the cost per ramp by up to 90%. Ramps are significantly cheaper than any other options.

don’t break

Mechanical solutions, like elevators, break regularly and repairs can be expensive. A ramp has no mechanical parts.

permanent

Our ramps are permanent. They don’t need to be put in place when a wheelchair user needs them they are always there.

no assistance required

Many other solutions, like elevators, require assistance and can be complicated to use. A ramp is self explanatory.

fit the environment

We build our ramps to fit the environment they are in, using native materials. Often the ramp is invisible and blends into the surroundings.

low/no maintainance

A ramp requires no maintenance beyond what is needed for a normal sidewalk. It can be used without additional costs for decades.

“Iceland built 1,756 wheelchair ramps in the past 4 years. Why can’t other countries do that?”

“It’s easy. It’s cheap. There’s no excuse”. Read more

Street scene in Reykjavik, Iceland, with colorful buildings, people walking, and Hallgrimskirkja church in the background.

Where we’ve been (so far)

iceland

We started with a pilot project in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. The plan was to see if we could build 100 ramps in 1 year. We built 101 ramps in 6 months.

Next up we expanded to the rest of the country. The plan was to build 1000 ramps in 4 years. We built 1756 ramps in 2,5 years.

The project was funded by local governments, companies and individuals.

Street intersection with an ornate beige building in a European cityscape, featuring classic architectural elements, surrounded by other historic structures, cars, and pedestrians under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

ukraine

Our first pilot project in Ukraine is to build 100 ramps in downtown Lviv with a plan to build 1000 ramps across Ukraine.

Lviv is a city in western Ukraine, around 70 kilometers from the border with Poland with about 700 thousand inhabitants.

We’re working with local authorities on the project, with an expected completion date in fall 2025 for the first phase.

The project is funded with a donation from Jack Dorsey and the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

panama

Our next pilot project is to build 200 ramps in downtown Panama City, the capital city of Panama in one year with a plan to build a total of 1000 in 4 years.

With almost 2 million residents in the city, and surrounding areas, it is the largest city in Panama.

The project is a collaboration with the Mayor’s office, with an expected completion date of May 2026 for the first phase.

The project is funded by a donation from Jack Dorsey.

“people have told me they have gone downtown in their wheelchairs for the first time in decades, thanks to the ramps.”

Read more

How it works

Yellow van with "RAMP UP" text on side
Geometric graph with grid lines, featuring red segments labeled "6in" and "24in" on a yellow background.

Our story.

ramp up was founded by icelandic designer, entrepreneur, and wheelchair user, Halli.

three years ago he went with his family for a walk in downtown reykjavik. his 4 year old son stopped to get a drink at a store. the store had a step. as the family went inside, halli waited outside and looked at that step.

he had seen that step before, all over the world. it had stopped him from joining his friends and family. He decided it was time for a change.

that was almost 2000 ramps ago.

Follow ramp up on twitter.

FAQs

  • We are currently open to new partnerships for our pilot project. Each participant needs to be able to work with on us building at least 100 ramps within a one year timeframe. In the past all pilot projects have been completed within 6 months.

    We only accept applications from city and town officials who are able to work with us directly.

  • For a pilot project in a new location we build 100 ramps within 1 year.

    This is used to assess the location for further investments.

  • Each region is funded differently. In Iceland, we raised money from local individuals, companies and government entities.

    For our pilot projects we raised initial funding from Jack Dorsey, with future funds coming from private and public donors.

    Each partner city needs to provide a local project manager that they fund.

  • We offer funding, and regular consultations to the local partner.

    The funding is for materials, designer and local contractors.

    The funding is not for the local project manager, the city provides that person and pays for them.

  • Each new partner town or city provides a project manager that oversees the project locally.

    Their job is to:
    1. Find the locations where ramps will be built. Ramp Up gives advice on what types of locations these should be.

    2. Put out bids and select a designer that knows the local codes and can design the ramps. Select the right designer with Ramp Up.

    3. Work with the city or town on getting the right permits.

    4. Put out a bid to local contractors, select the vendor with Ramp Up and oversee them.

    5. Put out bids for materials from local vendors and select the right vendor with Ramp Up.

  • We advocate for materials that match the sidewalk and buildings.

    They should ideally be sourced locally.

  • Once the ramps have been completed they are donated to the owner of the sidewalk they sit on. In some cases that’s city property and should be maintained like other sidewalks.

    In other cases the ramps are on property that is part of the building, in those cases maintenance is the responsibility of the building owner.

    All future maintenance (if any) is in their hands. If the ramps are damaged that should be reported to the owner of the land the ramp sits on.

  • Local codes vary. We always ask our partners to make sure all codes and safety regulations are followed.

  • We work with our local partners on all promotions.

  • We do not track usage of individual ramps. But we have general statistics on the impacts of ramps for a location and neighborhood.

  • Each location is different.

    We work with our local partners on assessing whether the project can be set up for success.

    Once we’ve done our due diligence, we put aside funds for the first 20 ramps that are paid out on proof of completion.

  • We focus on places where people gather, restaurants, cafes, shops, etc. Usually in city or town centers.

    We don’t build ramps in residential homes (although we encourage others to do so and can provide guidance).