Accessibility at home - Home modifications that empower wheelchair users.
As a wheelchair user, you want to live a safe, independent life and that starts at home.
With a wide variety of home modifications available to empower wheelchair users, the challenge is working out exactly how to provide independent mobility with safe, easy-to-maneuver living spaces.
With regulations, cost and labour to consider, modifying your home to improve accessibility can seem like a big job, but it’s easy once you know where to start.
Here are some helpful solutions that allow wheelchair users to live life on their own terms.
Entrance and Doorways
A study exploring the cause of falls in wheelchair users found the home entrance to be one of four significant risk factors.
As the main entrance and exit to your home, the entryway is often the first alteration made to a home. Whether it’s the front or the back, your home should have at least one accessible entrance.
A ramp is essential if you have a porch or steps. An average ramp is made from aluminium or wood and provides a wide walkway, handrails, a non-slip surface, and a cover. Porch lifts offer an alternative, providing a platform that easily raises and lowers the user.
Installing doors with offset hinges or “z” hinges will allow doors to swing clear of the doorway, adding maybe an extra inch of clearance. Sometimes the simple removal of door or trim will provide enough clearance. For privacy, a curtain or other options may be needed.
Note: If you have an older home, it is probably not designed and built for accessibility so you may need to widen your doorways to fit a standard wheelchair (24-27”).
Kitchen
Whether you have a disability or not, chances are you spend a lot of time in the kitchen in your home.
Luckily, there are a number of changes you can make to add new levels of independence, but they do come at a cost. Altering your kitchen is both expensive and permanent when you start changing cabinetry, benchtops, lighting etc. If the budget allows, try lowering stove and oven heights. When possible, stove controls should be placed at the front of the stovetop to prevent user from reaching across to the back to turn them on or off. Buy separate oven and stove units so they can be placed at accessible heights.
More budget-friendly alternatives include putting together a wheelchair accessible sink, countertop, and drawer in a separate corner so it can be utilised as a personal kitchen. Other quick fixes include relocating items to lower cabinets.
When it comes to refrigerators and freezers, side by side or refrigerators with a bottom drawer freezer offer a bit more accessibility.
Light switches can be a problem as well if placed too high, or behind countertops. It may become difficult or impossible to reach. Keep in mind that glare from under-counter lighting and other recessed lighting options may also affect wheelchair users.
Bathroom
Due to the dangers wet floors pose, and the limited space they offer, bathrooms tend to be the most modified part of the house when it comes to wheelchair access.
If you have the budget, a full remodel can provide a true adapted, accessible and safe bathroom with everything from a roll-in shower, a rolling shower chair, and even a ceiling lift system. Luckily, there are adaptions you can make on a smaller budget that will still have a significant impact on accessibility.
Tips for adapting your bathroom
1. Non-slip floors – For people with a disability, water can pose a serious slip hazard. Adding non-slip floors will remove the risk and add much-needed peace of mind.
2. Anti-slip grab rails – To improve safety and offer added confidence, you should add grab rails close to the toilet and in the shower. It’s also important to check that your walls and tiles are strong enough to withstand the force of a fall.
3. Adapted toilet seats – Toilet access can be improved with a raised toilet seat. These should be regularly checked to ensure they are secure and in good working condition to reduce the risk of falls.
A single hand faucet works better than a grab and twist model. Nowadays, hand sensor under the faucet is becoming more readily available and a great option.
Smart technology
Technology is evolving rapidly, especially when it comes to smart digital technology. Integrating with various appliances throughout your home, the introduction of smart technology can offer new levels of independence to people with disabilities.
Hands-free, voice-activated tech like Amazon Alexa and Google Home can help you perform numerous tasks from the comfort of your wheelchair like making calls, setting alarms and timers, playing music, and even adjusting the thermostat.
Smart plugs can be used to control any smart device via an app or voice command while smart bulbs can be controlled via voice command and can even be preset to turn on when you get up in the morning and off when you go to bed at night.
Summary
Making your home completely wheelchair accessible is not something that can be achieved overnight and takes careful planning and budgeting.
The investment of both time and money are worth it to ensure an accessible and practical home that promotes safety, independence, and quality of life.
