Making your home accessible is essential for people with disabilities to move freely around their home. A few changes and improvements will make daily activities easier and safer for a person with a disability. With Age Co Mobility, you can quickly move around your home.

A home for a wheelchair user should be designed to include all the amenities that will facilitate easy mobility. When creating the hallway and corridor, you need to consider not only the width and length of the wheelchair. It is essential to check what space is needed for the full rotation of the wheelchair. We give the minimum widths of the hallway and doors that will ensure the comfort of a disabled person.

How To Adapt A House To The Needs of A Disabled Person

When designing the interior of a house inhabited by a disabled person, it is crucial to know the range of motion available to the disabled person. The arm range of a wheelchair user averages 140 to 160 cm horizontally and 150 to 180 vertically. At the height of 30 to 40 cm from the ground, the arms reach downward, while forward, the disabled person can extend his arms to a distance of 60 to 80 cm. Consider these distances when designing furniture and choosing the heights of countertops, handles or light switches to make your home accessible.  When planning the bedroom arrangement, choosing and positioning the bed, consider the possibility of free access to it by wheelchair. Near the bed, plan a closet or dresser for essentials.

Stairs

Are often the biggest obstacle for the elderly and disabled in houses and blocks of flats without an elevator. It is worth considering installing a stair elevator thanks to Making your home accessible, which will make transportation up the stairs easier. Depending on the specific location and the needs of the residents, you can choose devices such as stair chairs, vertical elevators, platforms for the disabled or stair elevators.

Free space

It is estimated that 1.5 meters of space is enough to maneuver a wheelchair. Therefore, care should be taken to preserve it in all rooms making the house accessible to a disabled person.

Flooring

Carpets, carpets and even rugs make it very difficult to move freely in a wheelchair with the help of a walker or orthopedic balcony. That’s why it’s a good idea to stow away all unnecessary and obstructive items.

Doors

The door width should be at least 90-100 cm so that a wheelchair can pass through it freely. In rooms where this is possible, consider removing the door altogether, improving the freedom of a disabled person.

Furniture

The less, the better! All furniture should be moved as close to the wall as possible to leave as much free space as possible. The table must not have sharp edges, so it’s a good idea to use unique overlays when it does.

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Lighting

A person in a wheelchair cannot reach contact. Light bulbs that can be controlled by remote control or an app on the phone are a good solution. It’s also a good idea to install lighting in the hallway that responds to movement and turns on automatically.