At one night in July 2020 in Reykjavik, Halli was wandering around the city's main street with his wife and two kids. During their walk, his three-year-old son was 1 and wanted a drink from the corner store. But Halli soon discovered he couldn't help with the 2 request: A 20-centimetre step 3 his access to the store.
The barrier was all too 4 . Born with muscular dystrophy (肌肉萎缩), which causes progressive 5 and loss of muscle, Halli, now 46, has been using a wheelchair since he was 25.
As he 6 his wife and children outside the shop, he recalls, "I thought about how very strange it is that we always 7 families in this way."
Living all over the world as a creative director and digital designer, Halli had 8 first hand how different cities consider and plan for accessibility, from ramps (坡道) and sidewalks to public transportation. He decided to start with a project to make Iceland wheelchair 9 .
Ramp Up Reykjavik launched as a non-profit in 2021 with a 10 to build 100 ramps within 1 year. Unlike temporary solutions in other cities, these ramps are 11 structures that match the beauty of buildings.
With the help of government funding and other sponsors, the Ramp Up team finished ahead of schedule and has 12 its scope to all of Iceland. In three short years, Hali has become a 13 in his hometown. Halli is proud that Ramp Up has 14 others to act. "Equal access to society is 15 not something that is a reality yet," says Hali. But as he's learned, change starts with just one person.
