Introduction
The place where you live is likely the most important and personal space in your life. It’s where you create memories with family, friends, and loved ones. And it’s where you should feel safe and at home. The problem is that the home design industry doesn’t always take into account people with disabilities or limited mobility when they are designing new homes and renovation projects—and that can make a big difference for these individuals who want to live independently but need some extra help to do so.
Luckily, there are many easy ways to make any home more accessible for everyone who lives there! By doing a little bit of research about how your home can be redesigned to meet accessibility needs without sacrificing style or function (and without breaking the bank), you’ll be able to create a comfortable environment that meets everyone’s needs—not just yours!
Your home should be designed to be safe, accessible and inclusive.
Designing your home to be safe, accessible and inclusive will ensure that everyone in your family can enjoy it. This includes:
- Making sure it’s safe for all family members. Your home should be designed with fall prevention in mind, as well as other safety features such as smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and carbon monoxide detectors. You may also want to consider adding ramps or railings where necessary so that people who use wheelchairs or walkers can navigate around safely without assistance from others (and vice versa).
- Ensuring that all areas of the house are accessible by everyone in the family–especially if someone has mobility issues–so they don’t feel left out when spending time at home together as a family unit
The most important step you can take is to make sure your home is accessible.
The most important step you can take is to make sure your home is accessible.
In this section, we’ll discuss ways that you can make your home more accessible for the people in your life who are differently abled or have physical limitations.
The first thing to consider is what kind of modifications need to be made before someone moves into the house with a wheelchair or walker, as well as any other physical limitations they may have. This includes making sure that all doors are wide enough for wheelchairs and walkers (at least 32″), so that they don’t get stuck when trying to get through them; installing grab bars near toilets so those using mobility aids are able to use them without assistance; adding railings around any ledges outside so people don’t fall off them; installing ramps if there aren’t any already installed at entrances/exits of buildings; etcetera (there are tons more examples).
Think about your needs as you plan your home renovation.
When planning your renovation, think about your needs as well as the needs of those who will live with you. You may want to make sure that there is enough space for a wheelchair, or perhaps you’d like to have an extra bedroom for guests who need it.
Think about visitors: If someone in the family has a disability or other special needs, it’s important to consider their comfort when designing an accessible home. For example, if someone uses crutches or a walker to get around and can’t use stairs easily (or at all), then having a deck off of one of the bedrooms would be ideal–it would give them access without forcing them into another room entirely!
Think about helpers after moving in: After moving into your new house with its newly designed rooms and hallways–and making sure each person has something they need–you’ll still need some help accessing certain areas at times! Make sure there are clear paths between rooms so no one gets lost while navigating through unfamiliar territory
Use the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) Accessibility Guidelines for Residential Projects as a guide to make your kitchen and bathroom designs more accessible.
The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) is a great resource for anyone looking to design their kitchen and bathroom. They have a lot of resources to help you design your kitchen, like the NKBA Accessibility Guidelines for Residential Projects. This guide provides guidelines on how to make kitchens and bathrooms more accessible, including recommendations for lower counters, wider doors, accessible faucets and shower heads, etc.
The NKBA also offers other resources such as their Handyman Guidebook that includes tips on how to fix common problems around your home; or their Designers’ Resource Center where designers can find inspiration from other professionals who have successfully completed similar projects in the past; or even just ask them questions directly through email!
Have an accessible floor plan design in place.
For example, if you’re designing your floor plan with the needs of people with disabilities in mind, it’s important to consider how they will move through your home. If you have a wheelchair or walker, it might be helpful to include space for these devices and even make sure there is room around them for caregivers to assist with bathing and dressing. Additionally, there should also be ample room for a bedside commode so that limited mobility is not an issue when getting up from the bed during nighttime hours.
The key point here is that accessibility doesn’t just mean having ramps or elevators–it means planning ahead so everyone can use their space comfortably!
Check for clear paths of travel throughout the house.
- A clear path of travel is a continuous, unobstructed route from the front door to all rooms in the house.
- A minimum width of 3 feet should be maintained along the entire length of any clear path of travel.
- Clear paths must be level and free from obstructions (e.g., rugs or carpeting).
Include grab bars, railings, handrails and bathtub seats in your bathroom design to make it more inclusive for people with disabilities or limited mobility.
Grab bars, railings and handrails are all good ways to help people with limited mobility. Grab bars can be installed in the shower and near the toilet, providing a way for someone who uses a wheelchair or walker to hold onto while standing up. Railings should be installed on both sides of the shower, bathtub or toilet so that they can support someone even if they’re facing away from it (for example if they’re washing their hair). Handrails should also be installed on both sides of these fixtures so that people don’t have to stretch across them when getting in or out of them (e.g., when exiting a tub). Bathtub seats can be used instead of standard tubs; these allow users who cannot sit up independently access their bathing facilities safely without having to rely on another person’s assistance
There are many ways to make your home comfortable for everyone who lives there!
There are many ways to make your home comfortable for everyone who lives there!
- Design with accessibility in mind. Include grab bars, railings and handrails in showers and baths; bathtub seats; a ramp or stairs with handrails on both sides of the stairway; doorways that are wide enough for wheelchairs to pass through comfortably (at least 36 inches). Make sure you have an accessible floor plan design in place before starting any renovations so that you don’t have to make changes later on down the road when they could be more costly than anticipated.
- Think about your needs as you plan your home renovation project – this will help ensure it’s done right the first time around!
Conclusion
We hope this article has given you some ideas on how to make your home more inclusive and accessible. If you have any questions about what we’ve covered here or would like to learn more about our services, please contact us today!
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