Here is How to Make Your Home More Accessible
By incorporating a number of accessible design principles into your house layout you can cater to the needs of people with varying mobility levels and needs. Apart from the nearly 61 million Americans currently living with a disability, seniors who are wanting to age in place can also benefit considerably from accessible home design. If you are moving house and want to make your new home more accessible, consider the following design tips that will make it significantly easier for residents and visitors with mobility concerns to move around and perform basic tasks.
Lower High Surfaces and Controls
When making a house more accessible it is important to not forget about the counters, tables, desks, sinks, and other surfaces that may be too high for wheelchair users to access.In addition to ensuring that these basic home features can be utilized by everyone, it is vital that the same consideration is given to light switches, electric outlets, and any control panels that may feature in the home. When it comes to making a home accessible for someone living with cerebral palsy, the CPFN team acknowledges how overwhelming the entire process can be and recommends joining an uplifting, informative community such as theirs not only to get access to invaluable advice but to forge genuine and supportive friendships with people in a similar situation.
Make Sure there is Room to Roam
If you want your home to be accessible for wheelchair users you have to make sure there is enough room for them to roam. A typical wheelchair requires approximately 5 feet of turnaround space which should give you a clear indication of how to design the layout of your living spaces. Arrange our furniture in such a way that wheelchair users and individuals with compromised mobility can get around comfortably. An open plan kitchen and lounge is ideal as it will provide you with large open spaces that are wheelchair accessible. In order to make your bathroom more accessible and cannot enlarge the room itself, consider installing a roll-in shower and removing any cabinets and decorative elements that take up unnecessary floor space.
Invest in Smart Home Technologies
Smart tech not only makes a house more comfortable and convenient but a lot more accessible too. Smart home tech, in all its wonderful forms, can allow someone with a disability to lead a more empowered and independent life. There are a range of very nifty gadgets that can be incorporated into your home design to improve its accessibility rating. Digital assistants such as Siri (via Apple’s Homekit), Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa can all be used to effortlessly control a range of smart home devices by making use only of voice commands. Smart plugs make it possible to control nearly any plug-in device via a smartphone while smart lighting almost eliminates the need for hard-to-reach switches. Other useful smart devices that can boost accessibility include smart thermostats and smart security systems.
A large portion of the American population is living with disabilities that impact their mobility. By making a house more accessible, everyone can enjoy increased independence and improved quality of life.
We hope you found this blog post on Simple Ways to Make Your New Home More Accessible to be useful. Be sure to check out our post on Five Ways Technology Can Help With Moving for more great tips!
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