Increasing Disability Access In Your Home

Making a home more accessible is something that everyone can benefit from, whether a member of your household has a disability or you want to ensure all visitors are welcomed. Accessibility also plays a key role in future proofing a home and ensuring that it’s a pleasant place to live as the years go by. So, how can you increase disability access in your home?

Home lifts

While a home lift used to be considered an expensive, impractical option it’s now the logical choice. Simple to install anywhere in the home, and with low maintenance costs, home lifts provide access between floors in seconds. The versatility and ease of use of a home lift ensure it’s a great choice for any home and the modern aesthetics make it a design feature too.

Handrails

For such a simple accessory, a hand rail can make a huge difference to making a home more accessible. Smart positioning of grab rails provides support and stability where it is most required, offering peace of mind to someone who struggles with balance or standing, and minimising the chance of an accident taking place.

Widening doors and hallways

Creating a space that is wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair is a key element in making buildings more accessible. It can be incredibly frustrating to be unable to access a room in a chair and upsetting if doors and hallways are so narrow that there is a chance of getting stuck. It may only be a case of introducing a few extra inches but this could make all the difference to someone who wants to feel like they don’t need help to access a space. Planning to widen doors and hallways early on is important as this can be expensive to do further down the line and is not easy to do quickly. Locks can also be a problem so investing in an easy to use digital door lock can also help.

Stairlift/Platform lift

Stairs present one of the biggest issues for someone with a disability but there are two effective options for overcoming the problem: a stairlift or a platform lift. Stairlifts are simple and fast, reducing opportunities for injury or accident when walking up the stairs, while a platform lift is ideal for someone in a wheelchair who might struggle to get in and out of a stairlift.

A wet room

Making changes to showering – swapping a traditional shower and/or bath for a wet room – are not only more practical but allow for more privacy too. Retaining independence is important and this is one way that you can allow someone with a disability can continue to look after their own basic needs rather than requiring constant help.

Lighting

Putting some thought into where light switches should be positioned and which areas of the room need to be lit is an important part of increasing disability access in your home. It’s crucial to make sure that lights can always be reached when needed, whether someone is in bed or entering through the door.