25 Things to Know About Universal Design
By BHG.com,Publication Date:
Article offers 25 tips for making a home welcoming and accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. An accessible home’s main entrance should have no steps or high thresholds. A motion detector can ensure that the entrance is lighted when someone arrives. Doors and hallways should ideally be 36 inches wide to accommodate wheelchairs, and rooms should allow a 5-foot-diameter wheelchair turnaround space. Task lighting in the kitchen and bathroom, bright lights over staircases, and contrasting colors for stair treads and countertops aid people with failing visual acuity, as does an uncluttered indoor environment. Placing laundry facilities and a full, accessible bathroom on the ground floor is good preparation for one-floor living if it becomes needed. Tips for an accessible kitchen include installing a wall oven and front-control cooktop, opting for a shallow sink, installing a microwave oven at counter level, and raising the dishwasher at least 6 inches above the floor. Advice for accessible bathrooms includes installing backing behind walls for grab bars in the tub/shower and toilet areas, raising toilet seats 17 inches from the floor, installing faucets with single-handle controls or infrared sensors, and including a large roll-in shower with a seat.
Published by: Meredith Corporation (Website:http://www.meredith.com)
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