Kitchens

One area that is often neglected as far as accessible design is concerned is the kitchen. There are many details that don’t seem to get taken care of. That is because unless you have ever had to use a wheelchair or even had to use crutches for any length of time you are not aware of some of the barriers or inconveniences that exist in the ordinary kitchen.

Let’s start with the most common item in any kitchen, and that is the cabinet. There are several things you need to keep in mind when you order or build kitchen cabinets. The overall height of the base cabinets should not exceed 32” including the counter top. Also, the toe kick changes to 9” tall by 6” deep to allow for a wheelchair foot plate. The base cabinet that houses the dishwasher needs to be raised 9” to make loading and unloading easier for the disabled. Of course, upper cabinets are only useful for a disabled person who can stand, even for short periods of time. For a wheelchair user, they are not of much use if the spacing between the base and upper cabinets is left at 18”. While there is no specific regulation covering this, I always change this spacing to 12” so that at least the lower two shelves of the upper cabinets are within reach.

There three additional areas we need to focus on: the stove, sink and oven. A stove in the conventional sense cannot be used in an accessible kitchen. Instead a cook top must be used so that knee space under the cook top can be either custom built or it can be ordered from a manufacturer. Kraft Maid, for example, has an entire line of accessible cabinets. The second area, the sink, also needs knee space underneath for the same reason as the stove. Also the sinks themselves will have to special order because the drains will have to be to the back of the sink. This will allow for the installation of the disposal unit. The final area we need to look at is the oven. Conventional thinking would say use a standard wall oven. This would be okay except in the case of a wheelchair user, due to the fact that they would be lifting over their head to take something out of the oven, which could be dangerous. Because of this, a single oven is placed in a lower cabinet, which will prevent the wheelchair user from having to lift above their head.

There are a few final things that I want cover. One is electrical outlets, which are usually placed above or in the back splash. Now for someone who can stand this is fine. Again we come back to a wheelchair user, whose reach is limited, not being able to use them. Instead of installing them in the back splash, use the front of the cabinet. Or as an alternative they can be placed in the top of the counter. There are specially designed outlets for this purpose, however this is more expensive. Once again, we need to consider lighting. We must consider the ability of the client to service whatever fixtures are installed. The use of florescent and LED bulbs is recommended.

That's all we have this time. Again if you have questions I have not covered in this post, feel free to leave them for me in the comments section and I will try to answer them in a future post. Until next time breathe Peace and God's Love..........

Bathrooms

One of the questions that I'm asked most often is “What must I do to make a bathroom accessible?” Well the first thing you must do is make sure that the disabled person can get into the bathroom, or any room for that matter. So let's start with the door. Ideally you want to use a 36” door. I understand that when remodeling, it is not always going to be possible to fit a door that size without some major tear out. However try to use a door no smaller than 30” if you can. Sometimes a pocket door is the answer. In new construction, it is always going to be 36” doors throughout the house. Next, in new construction we need to consider the size of the room. In bathrooms, other than the master, we sometimes lean toward smaller rather bigger when it comes to the second or third baths. A 6'-0” x 8'-0” bathroom is going to be cramped, especially when there needs to be room for a wheelchair. You need to consider that a wheelchair requires at a minimum 48” to turn around and by standard it is 60”. So if you consider this, then the minimum size bathroom becomes 8'-0” x 10'-0”. In remodeling it may not always be possible to expand the bathroom in both width and depth. The most critical dimension is the width or area in front of the sink and toilet which must be 60”, so in this cases we need 8'-0” perpendicular to these fixtures. Also with a wheelchair bound person counter top height is important. So, as with the kitchen counters, use 32” maximum height counters and at the sink or anywhere else a person in a wheelchair must face a counter, in order to use the counter top area or sink, because knee space must be provided. For the toilet itself, keep in mind two things: height and shape. The fixture needs to be chair height and it should have an oval shaped bowl.

Now, we come to the tub and shower area of the bathroom. In the master bath where you sometimes have both a shower and a bathtub both have to be considered. Let's start with the tub in the master bath where there is a separate shower. If the wheelchair user is planning to use the tub, then a device to raise and lower the individual will be required. Depending on the device to be used, some consideration may be needed during construction. As for the shower in the master bath, a roll-in shower will be needed along with a fold-down seat. These units take up no more room than a standard tub enclosure would. Grab bars will have to be installed around the tub and toilet areas as well as the shower area. Additional reinforcement in these wall areas will need to be provided to support the grab bars. The grab bars for the toilet need to be installed both behind the tank and to the side opposite the counter or on both sides where the toilet is enclosed. The grab bars need to be installed at a height just above the tank. While we are on the subject of an enclosed toilet area, we need to be sure that the opening to the toilet area, or the door, is 36”and opens out of the enclosed area. You also need to allow space for 60” of turn around area. If this is not practical, then you might want to reconsider enclosing the toilet. The grab bars in a roll-in shower, as well as the fold down seat, are usually installed by the manufacturer. In the case of a custom shower enclosure, refer to the manufacturer's instructions on placement height for the grab bars. The seat, whether built-in or a fold-down, must be of chair height. For bathrooms other than the large master, the tub will either need to be replaced with a roll-in shower, or you will want to make accommodations for raising and lowering the client. Whichever one you choose, the same rules regarding dimensions and fixtures apply here as with the master bath.

Other things to consider here as well as elsewhere in the house are door handles, water valve levers in the sink and tub, temperature control in the shower and tub, and lighting. Door handles throughout the house should be a lever type, as these are easier for those with limited use of their hands to operate. The same is true of the levers on the sink and tub or shower controls for the same reason. Temperature control should be provided to prevent scalding for those individuals who lack, or have diminished, feeling or sensation. And lastly, you must consider the height and placement of switches and outlets. Height must be in accordance with ADA specifications and you need to consider the ability of the individual to reach them when deciding the placement of outlets. Consider placing a GFI outlet, a Ground Fault Interrupter, on the front or side of the cabinet. Lighting is not something that you would normally consider important when designing for accessibility, but to a person in a wheelchair who can't reach the light switch, it is very important. Switches, as I mentioned before, must be at an easily reached height. We also must consider changing the bulbs in these fixtures. Consider using florescent bulbs or LED's for long life as the handicapped individual is going to require help in changing bulbs. And sometimes if we have to ask, too often we won't because we feel as if we are imposing on others, or we simply can't afford to have someone do it. Well, I hope I have answered some of your questions regarding accessible bathroom design. If you have other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Breath Peace and God's Love........

Basics

I thought I would cover some of the basics of accessible design. Fundamentally we have change our mind set. We must put ourselves in the position of the person we are designing for. We do this now in that we design with our clients wants and desires and taste in mind. We must go a step farther and keep their physical needs in mind also. We have to keep in two sets of specifications or standard practices. Things like height at which we place a light switch or electrical outlet. The height of counter tops and what we use for floor coverings. All these items have different answers depending on the clients physical needs. For me it is easy to keep these things in mind, since I have spent the last 36 years in a wheelchair. And the fact the majority of the homes you will build or remodeling jobs you do will not require any modification from standard practices. And I might mention here that neither will most of the accessible jobs you do. There are only a few things that will have to be done differently. In this blog I hope to cover all of the differences between standard building practices and the ADA practices. I will try to cover accessibility room by room. Also from time to time, as we touch on the subject, I may get a little more animated when we discuss my pet peeves. We will get started with our room by room tour of accessible design. So until then breath Peace and God's Love.......

Introduction

Hi. My name is Gary. I was born in the mid 50's at a time when polio was at epidemic proportions. A new vaccine was just becoming available, but there was a risk with this new vaccine. A small percentage of those who received it contracted polio. Well I was one of that small group. So at the age of three I found myself in an iron lung unable to breath without it. After a year I was out of the iron lung and in therapy. It was a long road, but eventually I was getting around on leg braces and crutches. I had a seemingly normal childhood, attending public school, riding a specially modified bicycle, playing, and just doing whatever I wanted. My parents always encouraged me to try everything. I never let my handicap keep me from doing whatever I wanted to do. Then after graduating from high school I found myself in a wheelchair. I was unable to wear braces any longer. My perspective of the world changed. I began to encounter barriers to my freedom. But still I tried not to let it stop me. I went to college and became a mechanical engineer, for 20 years I enjoyed a career in the oil industry. In 2004, after retiring from engineering for other heath reasons, a ghost from my past came back to haunt me. A previously unknown effect of polio began to make itself known in those of us who survived. It is called "Post Polio Syndrome". It is a gradual weakening of the muscles. Now I find myself in a power wheelchair, because I can no longer push a manual chair around. I have always been passionate about accessibility and as I have encountered new barriers to my freedom of movement, that passion grows. I needed a way to put this passion to work. Recently I thought to myself I needed a forum where I could make myself available to anyone who had a question about accessible design or the "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990" or better known as the ADA. So with each post I will answer questions that have been submitted through the comment section of this blog. So lets get started. I will answer as many questions as possible in each post and if I don't know the answer I will find out. Breath peace and God's Love.