Universal Design in Wheelchair Accessible Homes

The Principles of Universal Design applied to wheelchair accessible housing

According to the NC State Center for Universal Design (CUD), Universal Home design follows seven principles:

Principle One: Equitable Use: The house can be used and would be desirable by someone in a wheelchair as well as someone not in a wheelchair. It is not simply a "handicapped home", "a house for the disabled" or a home with a wheelchair ramp slapped on the outside.
Principle Two: Flexibility in Use: The home is useable by a wide range of people. The home lends itself to being used by the disabled as well as non disabled. Someone who walks or is in a wheelchair, scooter, or other mobility device.
Principle Three: Simple and intuitive: The home features are simple and easy to use and can be accessed by someone in a wheelchair and cognitively disabled.
Principle Four: Perceptible Information: The home provides information to the user that is easily understood including cognitively disabled.
Principle Five: Tolerance for Error: The home design prevents or minimizes accidents if something goes wrong. The home takes into account that someone in a power chair or scooter could be using the home and the design minimizes hazards and potentially dangerous situations. Home design minimizes falls.
Principle Six: Low Physical Effort: The house utilizes features that make it easy to use with little physical effort. The home can be used comfortably by someone in a wheelchair.
Principle Seven: Size and Space for Approach and Use: The house is easy for someone in a wheelchair to access all areas and operate appliances.

Universal Design is about designing and building all homes with at least a minimum number of essential accessible features. This is a more efficient use of resources and allows people with disabilities to continue to live in their communities and visit others. Universal Design also minimizes the expense of wheelchair accessibility features. There is surprisingly little initial construction cost differences in a wheelchair accessible home and one that is not wheelchair accessible when. Most of the cost difference is in setting up the lot and the appropriate grading for a home with no stairs. It is however, very expensive to upgrade a home that was not built to be wheelchair accessible to make it so after the fact.

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Features of a Universally Designed Wheelchair Accessible Home

Entrances to the Home

Stepless Entrances

Ideally all entrances to the home are stepless. At a minimum at least one entrance is stepless in addition to stepless entrances that lead to a deck or patio and garage. A maximum rise at entrance threshold of 1/2 inch. Ample space on both sides of the entrance of at least 5' x 5' to allow for maneuvering of a wheelchair or scooter. All entrance door widths should be a minimum of 34" wide for wheelchair accessibility.

Other Entrance Features

The use of ramps is avoided but if they must be used then the design of the ramp is pleasingly integrated into the overall architecture and design of the home, i.e. don't slap on a wheelchair ramp as an afterthought. The home site will have appropriate sloping for foundation waterproofing but walkways will not have a greater slope than 1:20 (1 foot of raise for every 20 feet of run). Visitors at the home's entrances and home owners should be able to easily communicate with each other. This can be accomplished using a combination of doorbell, intercom device, and/or video equipment. All entrances should be well lit, visible, and protected from the elements.

Garages and Car Ports

The door height and garage headroom should accommodate a tall vehicle such as a wheelchair accessible full size van with raised roof/raised doors. The garage should have adequate space to allow for garaging the vehicle, deploying of a platform lift or ramp, and maneuvering of a person around the vehicle in their wheelchair, scooter, or mobility device. The garage utilizes power and not manually operated doors. The car port, car parking area, and garage should all be at the same level of the home so that the vehicle does the climbing up to the house and not the person who will be walking, riding in their wheelchair or scooter, or using a mobility device.

Bathrooms

At least one wheelchair accessible bathroom is located on the wheelchair accessible ground floor entrance level.

This bathroom should have the following features:

60" turning space in the room to accommodate someone in a wheelchair.
At least 3' of clear space in front of the toilet. At least 3' of clear space to one side of the toilet to allow adequate access to someone in a wheelchair but the distance to any other wall should be a minimum of 18" to the centerline of toilet.
Long full length mirror.
Deep curbless shower 5' x 4' or bigger. A tub 3' x 3' with integral transfer seat, water proof floor, and a floor drain. All tubs and showers have an adjustable height hand held shower head with 5' hose in addition to a fixed shower head if installed.
Countertop (with bowl located close to the front edge) or wall hung lavatories but no pedestal lavatories. 29" high knee space under lavatories allows their use from a seated position and pipe protection in place to prevent contact with hot or sharp pipes.
Grab bars should blend in to the design of the room. Blocking in walls with adequate load bearing capability around tub, shower, and toilet that allows for the future installation of grab bars without having to rip open the walls.
Single lever water fixtures throughout the bathroom.
The water fixture mixing valves have a temperature limiter to prevent scalding for people who cannot quickly move out of the way of the water stream if changes in pressure or temperature occur.

Kitchens

Full extension pull out drawers and racks to allow full access to all shelf storage space. Adjustable height shelves in all cabinets.
Adjustable height work surfaces, 28" - 42". Large stretches of continuous countertops to allow the sliding of heavier items especially between refrigerator, sink, and stove.
48" minimum clear space in front of all walls and cabinets to allow for access in a wheelchair.
Refrigerator and freezer with storage 18" - 48" from the floor. Front mounted controls for water and ice.
Cook top with underneath knee access to allow someone to use while seated in a wheelchair. Burners are located near the front to prevent someone from reaching over a potentially hot surface.
Clear knee space under sink of 29" minimum.
Knee space besides the oven with one pull out oven drawer at the same height as the adjacent countertop.

Switches and Controls

Light switches at a maximum height of 36-44" from the floor. Rocker style switches used. Motion activated lights utilized in appropriate spaces.
Thermostat control is located a maximum of 48" from the floor. Thermostat control is accessible to people with a wide range of visual and physical disabilities.
Electrical outlets at a minimum 18" height from the floor which allows use by people in a wheelchair and those who have difficulty bending over.

Interior Layout

At least one bedroom and wheelchair accessible bathroom located on wheelchair accessible ground floor.
Clear door opening width of 36" for all doorways.
42" wide hallways to allow maneuvering in a wheelchair.
5' diameter turning space in all rooms.
Stair handrails located on both sides of all stairways. Stairs have appropriate width and space at the bottom for later installation of a stairway platform lift.

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