How would you truly feel if you needed to use a restroom however were unable to get through the door? This is the dilemma wheelchair patients find themselves in most of the time. Rent an apartment. The washroom will likely be too small and the door too narrow for access. Purchase a house. Even then, the washroom will probably have to be made over and adapted for wheelchair use. Bathrooms just aren’t made with the disabled in mind. Stop and consider what you might need in a wheelchair accessible bathroom if you or perhaps a member of family should become wheelchair bound, the things that would give you self-reliance, mobility, plus the liberty to look after your individual needs.

To begin with, you’re going to require room to maneuver. Though wheelchairs are now being constructed with smaller turning radius’ all the time, they still require room to maneuver. Get some measurements. You’ll need at least 30” x 48” of space for one wheelchair. Several of this room can be underneath the sink as long as there is plenty of clearance for the chair’s foot rest. For comfortable turns, there has to be an area with no less than a 60” radius. A lot of bathrooms do not have this type of room, so before it is possible to remodel the area making it wheelchair accessible, you are going to have to find more room somewhere. You might be able to take out a closet in the bathroom or even a neighboring room, or you might just take a portion of a different room and add it to the bath.

Fixtures in a handicapped washroom must be well planned to be able to meet the requirements of space and function. Toilet seats must be 17” to 19” from the floor and have grab bars on both sides if possible. Though sinks must be located lower than in a normal washroom, there still must be no less than 29” of clearance between the lip of the sink and the floor so that the disabled person can get nearby the sink in a wheelchair. Wheelchair accessible showers must be large enough for the person to enter effortlessly and turn around as required. Hardware should be at a level that allows the person to utilize it without aid.

It’s simple to feel low self-esteem when a person is unable to look after their own needs. By changing a bathroom for use by a wheelchair patient, you will let them have the self confidence and self-reliance they need in permitting them to look after themselves.

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