How to Make Your Home Power Wheelchair Accessible

If you use a power wheelchair or have a disability, it is very important to make your home fully accessible. The extent of renovations needed depends on the state of your home. For example, the rooms and doorways need to have ample space for maneuvering an electric wheelchair. Plus, it’s beneficial for counter tops, appliances and cabinets to be within easy reach for a user sitting in a standard height wheelchair. Here are some specific ways you can make your home wheelchair accessible for you and your loved one.

Make Doorways Accessible for Motorized Wheelchairs

Place wheelchair ramps over thresholds

Rubber threshold ramps are easily installed, slip resistant and affordable, providing a safe way for electric wheelchairs to cross thresholds and small steps.

Widen door frames

Your wheelchair must be able to easily fit through every doorway in your home. If a doorway is too narrow, a minor renovation may be needed. Sometimes, just removing the door frame can solve the problem.

Remove doorsteps

Removing doorsteps allow for a motorized wheelchair to traverse through a doorway with no problem. Also, it’s best to remove any uneven flooring in your house.

Install a lowered peephole

If you or your loved one rely on a peephole to see who is at the door, it is advisable to install a peephole at eye-level of a person in a power wheelchair.

Choose Flooring that is Power Wheelchair Accessible

Ditch the carpet

It’s much easier to drive a power wheelchair or navigate with a walker across hard flooring. Rugs and thick carpets makes it harder for people with disabilities and a potential tripping hazard for everyone.

Wheelchair accessible flooring options

Hardwood flooring is visually nice to look at and extremely durable, a great choice for a wheelchair accessible home. Laminate is also durable, and scratches can be removed easily. Ceramic tiles are good for accessible kitchens and bathrooms because they are water resistant.

Electric Wheelchair Accessible Bathrooms

Provide ample space for turning

Be certain there is enough space in your bathroom for you to complete a 360 degree turn with your electric wheelchair.

Install hand rails

Install hand rails surrounding the toilet seat to make transfers from your wheelchair to the toilet easier and safer

Install a low standing sink

An accessible sink allows a power wheelchair user to be able to reach the faucet. A customized sink can be installed according to the height of the individual using a wheelchair.

Accessible Kitchens for Motorized Wheelchair Users

Provide plenty of space for turning

Make sure that the kitchen is spacious enough for a full 360-turn of a wheelchair.

Low work surfaces

Make sure that all counter tops, as well as the kitchen sink, are easy to reach from a standard wheelchair height, or that counters can be customized to the individual wheelchair user.

Place appliances in lower areas

Select appliances, such as the stove, dishwasher, washing machine or microwave that open to the side or in the front for easier access and place them within easy reach.

Utilize lower cabinet space

Cabinets installed from the floor up are much more accessible for motorized wheelchair users.

For other ways to make your home life easier, check out these accessibility hacks that can benefit you tremendously if you use a manual or power wheelchair in your daily life. Read Accessible Living Tips for People with Disabilities.