While buying a home, there are many factors that the buyer considers like location, safety, basic requirements of the residents and they keep this in mind. If you have a specially-abled family member, it is essential that you choose in on a home for sale which is equipped with disability-friendly features.
Giving disabled people a life that they deserve by offering accessibility in a home that can be generally achieved through architectural intervention. Still, some amendments such as modified furniture, shelves and cupboards, or even electronic devices in the home can bring ease in disabled living.
Though, the nature and extent of a person’s disability decide whether a house for sale is accessible enough or not. Making a disabled-friendly home will ensure independent living as much as possible and fulfil their desires.
Some Basic Attributes Of An Accessible Home Are:
• Easy accessibility through building entrances and exits
• Making doors that wheelchair-bound individuals can use efficiently
• Placing the Light switches, electrical outlets and thermostats at reachable place
• Accessible kitchens and bathrooms with low countertops and grab rails
Residential Property -Specific Accessibility
Under the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1996, the main objective is to provide guidelines to design the most advantageous living environments in the residential property for persons with non-ambulant (chair-bound), semi-ambulant (wheelchair-bound), visual and hearing impairments. Some directions under this Act for room-specific accessibility for kitchens, bathrooms and living areas are:
How Should be The Kitchen?
For easy movement of wheelchair the floor space should include a minimum width of 1.5 m.
Worktops, sinks and the cooking countertops should be at a level of 780-800 mm off the ground. For wheelchair bound members, adjustable countertops are preferred as the best solutions.
A knee room of 700 mm should be provided under the sink.
Pull-out vertical units on both sides of the work centre are desirable.
There must be multiple access points to the kitchen, each equipped with a multi-pole light switch to allow the disabled person to turn the kitchen lights on and off whenever they enter or leave using any of these points.
An electric cooktop fitted with staggered burners, which has controls on the front, will eliminate the need to reach across hot burners.
Appliances with touchpad operation are great for people who have limited finger strength and control.
Designing The Bathroom In Disabled Friendly Home
The basin should be at a low height with appropriate knee and floor clearance for wheelchair users.
Shower cubicles should have wide and high enough seats to facilitate easy transfer by wheelchair users as well as grab rails for easy gripping.
Call buttons or other signal devices such as phone or alert systems must be installed at a height and position easily reachable in an emergency.
Shower doors should preferably be of a sliding type. Locks or latches should be openable from the outside in the case of an emergency.
The WC should have upward-folding support bars which are recommended to allow lateral transfer from a wheelchair.
A non-slip floor is one of the most important things to address in the shower to prevent falls. A textured tile or a slatted wood tray over a concrete floor can increases resistance of the floor.
Motion detector lights can be used for individuals who have trouble accessing light switches.
Living Or Dining Room
The living room of the property for sale should have large entrance points and hallways leading to it.
The electrical outlets must be placed lower in height, but not more than 15 inches off the floor.
There should be enough room (1.5 m) for easy movement of wheelchairs around all furniture pieces.
A living and dining room combination is desirable with a 750 mm height for the knees at the table.
Bedroom
Position the bed in a corner where two walls meet and leave a minimum of 900 mm space should for the wheelchair user to transfer to the bed themsleves or with assistance from a helper.
A wheelchair docking station next to the bed in the residential apartment can be of a great help.
Ceiling lifts attached to a track system that slides horizontally, should be fitted in the room, starting at the doorway, leading to the bed.
The closets and drawers must be designed keeping in mind the requirements of the disabled, with D-ring pull handles and lightweight drawers.