Design Elements in Adaptable Living
by Ken Brown
In the first article in this series on housing for per sons with
disabilities, I outlined design elements that would make a residence
visitable. This article will outline Adaptable and Accessible design
elements for residences. These elements are required in multi-dwelling
developments that are funded with MFHA dollars. Residences that incorporate
the design elements of an adaptable or an accessible facility will
be available for use with very few or no design changes needed in
the future to accommodate the occupants. This residence will be more
fully enjoyed well into the future by seniors as well as persons
with disabilities or families of any size and make-up.
An Adaptable residence has the following design elements:
• An accessible
building entrance on an accessible route;
• Accessible and usable public and common use areas;
• Doors that have thirty-two inches of clearance;
• An accessible route into and throughout the dwelling;
• Light switches, electrical outlets, thermostats, and other environmental
controls in accessible locations;
• Reinforced walls for grab bars to be installed; and,
• Usable kitchens and bathrooms.
An Accessible design
goes a few steps further and includes the following—grab
bars installed in the bathroom. If there are 4 or more units to a
site, one of the units’ bathrooms has a roll in shower with
a fold up bench and adjustable showerhead, meets workspace requirements
in the kitchen, and has knee clearance requirements at sinks.
The terms used above
may seem like a foreign language at first glance, so I will add
some clarification. An accessible building entrance on an accessible
route means: (1) the entrance has a thirty-two inch clearance door;
(2) the threshold is less than ¼” high
and the ground is firm and stable; and, (3) the width of the route
is at least forty-eight inches wide with a slope of no more than
one to twenty.
An accessible route on the interior of a building should be thirty-six
inches wide with a slope if sloped no more than one to twelve, a
hard surface or tightly woven carpeted floor. The accessible and
usable common use areas refer to public bathrooms, party rooms, exercise
areas, mailroom, and public living/meeting area.
The mounting of light switches and other environmental controls
should be at a height no more than forty-eight inches from the floor.
Electrical outlets should be mounted at least eighteen inches from
the floor. These are minimums and can be changed depending on the
needs of the occupants.
A usable kitchen includes
lower countertops and sinks, usually installed at a height of thirty-two
inches, with removable/hide away doors. Most of the kitchen’s
cabinets are mounted at lower heights with the highest usable shelf
at forty-eight inches from the floor. When sinks are mounted there
should be enough clearance for a wheelchair user to be able to
roll up to and easily fit underneath from the side or the front.
Closets have lower shelves and racks or adjustable shelves and racks.
The peephole in the front door is no higher than forty-eight inches
from the floor. The doors should have handles instead of knobs.
Using these simple design elements does not increase the cost anymore
than when initially designed and built into residences. These design
elements afford all occupants and visitors more comfort and usability
for longer periods of their lives.
