Wheelchair Accessible Home Guide
Not many people think about wheelchair accessibility when building or buying a new home. So when something happen to the occupants which make them ended up on a wheelchair some changes must be done to their home to make it more accessible. If you're bound to a wheelchair an ordinary home may not feel comfortable enough to for you to move around and doing some tasks on your own. One solution to get an accessible home is to buy a new one. Realtors will be more than happy to help you find an accessible home. Another solution is to make some modifications to your existing home. And that is what this article is all about.
This article contain some checklists and tips on making changes to your existing home to make it more accesible by wheelchair users.
Outdoors
- Install a wheelchair ramp or lift one the home entrance. To find out which one is better read this article
- Get rid of the gravel walks and turn them into concrete or at least cement.
- Construct ramp access to the garage or carport to allow sheltered entrance into and exit from a vehicle.
- Move the mailbox to an accessible point.
Doors
- Make the doors wider. Front door, back door, bedroom door, bathroom door and all other doors. A standard wheelchair is 24 inches wide so you need to make sure all your doors are at least 36 inches wide so wheelchair users can move in and out easily without assistance.
- Closing a door can be a hassle for wheelchair users since the wheelchair is practically on the way. Attach a string to every door handles so a wheelchair user can use it to pull the door and close it. Measure the distance between the door handle to the floor and be sure the string isn't longer than that.
- Use lever-type handles on every doorknobs. It's easier to use than round-type handles.
Indoor
- No carpet please. Carpets and rugs are just a hindrance for wheelchair users. It's harder to roll the wheelchair on a rug than on a wooden or ceramic floor. Replace all carpets with tile flooring or hardwood.
- Rearrange the furnitures so you have wider hallways at least a 32" wide. Also allow some space for a 5 feet turning radius so wheelchair users can turn around without assistance.
- Install mini ramps on every high door thresholds or remove the thresholds. The mini ramps can be as simple as wedge-shaped wood or alumunium.
- If possible change all appliances to a front-control and front-access type for example a front-access washing machine instead of a top-access one.
- Plan an emergency exit for the wheelchair user.
- Put the phone in a reaching distance
- Install a wheelchair lift with a transfer pole so you can pull yourself up from a wheelchair and move to a sofa and vice versa.
- Protect your walls by installing metal or plastic wall coverings on corners and walls. Wheelchairs can bump here and there and can do serious damage over time.
- If you have a van with a wheelchair lift installed on the side you will need a wider garage for easy access getting in and out of the van.
- Lower the light switches
- Install a wheelchair lift if you have two-level house. Stairs are still the biggest obstacle for wheelchair users. An ideal wheelchair accessible home should be just one level without all the stairs, door thresholds nor any step-downs. However a two-level house can be accessible also by using a wheelchair lift.
Bathroom
Since bathroom is the place for privacy a fully accessible bathroom in essential.
- Install a nonslip floor in the bathroom.
- Install a hose/nozzle system in the shower.
- Put in a water-powered ascending/descending tub seat.
- Install lever handles on kitchen and bathroom sinks.
- Install grab bars both vertically and horizontally on every sides of your shower. . The bathroom tend to be slippery and grab bars is an incredibly handy aid to stop falling. The grab bars must be non-slippery and safe to grip even when your hands are soapy. So make sure the grab bars have some knurling on it like the Medline 24 Inch Grab Bar
- Get a raised toilet seat with safety frame or armrests that allow you to safely lower yourself down and push yourself up and check if it issturdy enough for your weight
- Adjust the toilet seat height if necessaary
- Buy a toilet seat which will only need very few modifications to your existing toilets.
Kitchen
- Lower the kitchen work His entire kitchen was lowered (cabinets, etc.) so that he could reach everything (probably not necessary for a 16yr old living at home).
- Use drop leaf, roll-away carts for kitchen work areas.
- No tightly arranged kitchen spaces
- Use a “Side-by-side” refrigerators instead of "stacked" models with sliding shelves so you don't need to bend over at all to get what you want from the fridge.
- Instead of a standard kitchen faucet, install a “goose-neck” spout that allows the pot to be filled without lifting it into the sink. And place the cooktop nearby so that the pot can be easily slid across the countertop to the burner – no lifting required.
- Use front-load/drawer type dishwasher to eliminate the need to bend over when loading and unloading the dishes.
- Take the cabinet under your sink out, so you can easily roll up to wash dishes, chop your vegetables, etc.
- Ask a carpenter to make drawers where all your lower cabinets are.
- A mirror mounted over the stove will let you see what's cooking.
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After the rennovation is completed you need to re-check that everything are installed safely, securely and correctly.
