Wheelchair Accessible Bathrooms – 5 Necessities For Easy Access
July 30, 2009 by admin
Filed under Bathroom Accessibility Modifications, Wheelchair Access Arkansas
There are millions of people all over the world with many types of disabilities. Several of these disabilities make it extremely difficult for wheelchair-bound individuals to gain access to the necessities they need – particularly bathrooms
Bathrooms can pose extreme barriers for disabled people and can make an ordinarily simple task time consuming, frustrating and often impossible.
Creating a wheelchair accessible washroom – whether for residential or commercial purposes – has become more and more popular. If you’re thinking of creating a new wheelchair accessible washroom – or updating an existing bathroom to accommodate wheelchairs – there are several things you’ll want to consider.
1. Doorway Widening. Before you even consider the wheelchair bathroom accessories, you need to make sure a standard wheelchair can fit through the door of your washroom. A standard wheelchair is 24-17″ wide. A wheelchair accessible bathroom doorway should be a minimum of 32″ wide.
2. Grab Bars. Safety grab bars make it easier and more convenient for wheelchair bound individuals to gain appropriate access to all areas of the bathroom. Installing grab bars next to the toilet and near bathing areas and inside showers and tubs is essential. You may also want to consider installing grab bars behind the toilet and installing roll-under sinks and vanities.
3. Accessible Showers and Bathtubs. Residential washrooms where one or more of the residents (or even a close family member who visits often) should be converted to accommodate wheelchairs. Roll-in showers and walk-in bath tubs are a great way to make the showering process easier.
4. Tilted Mirrors and Accessible Cabinets. Wheelchair accommodating washrooms should definitely have at least one tilted mirror for disabled individuals. There’s no sense building an entire washroom for easy wheelchair access if you’re going to leave out the mirror. As we mentioned before, roll under sinks and counters are also very accommodating for wheelchair-bound individuals.
We hope our tips have helped and we’re happy to hear you’re taking the time to research the necessities of a wheelchair accessible bathroom. It’s not an easy task, but it’s worth the work in the end.
Rhonda Splinter has been helping disabled individuals with accessiblity issues for many years. She specializes in designing wheelchair accessible shower stalls. In her spare time she shares her knowledge with the readers of TheWheelchairSite.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rhonda_Splinter
Wheelchair Ramps Arkansas
July 27, 2009 by admin
Filed under Ramps Arkansas, Wheelchair Access Arkansas, Wheelchair Ramps Arkansas
Wheelchair accessibility is an issue for those in wheelchairs and their loved ones. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to get from here to there. Many think throwing up a ramp is easy, but if they’ve actually ever given that a go they quickly found that issues such as angles, width, borders and in some instances regulations play a bigger part than they first thought.
Wheelchair ramps aren’t the only accessibility issues that arise when preparing a home for aging in place or for other disabilities. Building the ramp from here to there doesn’t mean the wheelchair can fit comfortably or through a door at all! The angles are also a big deal. Some yard configurations or garage configurations require building landings so the wheelchair isn’t having to go up too steeply. The necessary angles for the wheelchair to manuever around those turns requires some thought and expertise. And, if you loved one has any wheelchair accessories attached they can get in the way of those angles working right.
Arkansas families have a local expert trained to set up and build these ramps in just the manner required to make their life easier. Cook and Son Construction are the accessibility experts and provide wheelchair ramps of various kinds. Portable wheelchair ramps are economical and, well, portable. Wooden ramps are anothe option. In addition to these services we provide an awesome complete home evaluation which will tell you exactly what it will take to make your entire home wheelchair accessible.
Anyway you slice it wheelchar ramps in Arkansas are easier to incorporate into your home with an expert.
