The Naked Exam Nightmare: Ramps, Ratios, and Real Life
You know that dream? The one where you're sitting in a classroom taking an exam and you suddenly realize you're completely naked? Everyone's staring at you, the clock is ticking, and you can't remember a single answer?
That's exactly what it feels like standing on a job site with a contractor, an architect, and a building owner all looking at you expectantly while you try to convert a ramp slope from a ratio to a percentage to inches and then back to feet. In that moment, with everyone waiting, all you want is a calculator and maybe a calculus book. Or at least a cheat sheet that doesn't require you to flip through four different code sections while doing mental math.
Is 1:12 the same as 8.33%? Wait, how many inches is that per foot? And does this existing building qualify for the 1:10 exception? Quick, someone's asking a question and you're supposed to be the expert!
I love learning. I love teaching. I love architecture, I love my kid, and I genuinely love helping people. Being an accessibility specialist lets me somehow combine all of these passions into one career. But here's what I've learned: even when you love what you do and know your stuff, the pressure of the moment can turn simple math into advanced calculus.
That's why I started creating Made Accessible Resources. These aren't just reference guides—they're my answer to the naked exam nightmare. They're the tools I wish I'd had in those early days when I was frantically flipping through code books while everyone waited for an answer. They break down concepts that span multiple code sections, simplify calculations that require actual math (gasp!), and explain all those variants and exceptions that somehow never make it into the quick reference charts.
Because here's the thing: accessibility shouldn't be complicated. The math isn't actually that hard once you have it laid out clearly. The ratios make sense when you see them side by side. And knowing that 1:20 is considered level while 1:19 is officially a ramp? That's the kind of information that should be at your fingertips, not buried in section 405.2 of a 700-page document.
So whether you're an architect trying to spec a ramp, a contractor building one, a building owner trying to understand the requirements, or a fellow accessibility specialist who just wants to avoid that naked-exam feeling on your next site visit—these resources are for you.
Teaching and learning don't have to happen in a classroom. Sometimes the best education happens in the field, armed with a good cheat sheet and the confidence to say, "Let me double-check that for you."
I hope you enjoy these resources as much as I've enjoyed creating them. And may you never have to do ramp slope math while feeling like you forgot to get dressed.
Made Accessible
An Accessibility Specialist for Accessible Answers