Designing a Wheelchair Accessible Kitchen

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If you have a family member who uses a wheelchair, then you would want to make all the areas in your home accessible to the person, including the kitchen. Wheelchair accessibility can be planned at the time of building a house or at a later stage when the need arises. More often than not, minor adjustments in the kitchen can make it more accessible for a wheelchair, while in other cases major renovation may be required. Either way, wheelchair accessible kitchens can make a real difference in the self-sufficiency of an elderly or disabled family member.

Making changes to counters

One of the biggest problems of being confined to a wheelchair is that cupboards and countertops located at a height will become inaccessible. You can work out structures that can lower them. Since the armrest of wheelchairs is generally about 28 inches high, a counter top that is 32 inches high would be appropriate. You can also turn tables into counters and put extensions on a sink to make them more accessible. The areas under the counters can be designed such that the wheelchair can slide in.

Choosing a wheelchair friendly storage

You will have to transfer all the dishes, pots, pans and cups that you use everyday to the lower cupboards and closets to make them accessible to the wheelchair user. You should also put food products in lower shelves or in lower cabinets next to the dishes, so that the person in the wheelchair does not have to put in extra effort to access them. See if you can place electrical appliances such as toasters, microwave ovens and coffee pots on a low table.

Selecting the kitchen lighting carefully

A lot of people tend to ignore lighting and fan switches of their kitchen while trying to turn it into a wheelchair friendly place. You need to make sure that the switches are at a comfortable height of 36 to 48 inches so that they can be accessed when a person is sitting in his wheelchair.

Kitchen flooring

Another important design aspect for wheelchair accessible kitchens is to pay attention to the flooring. The floor should be hard, made of ceramic tiles or stone. You should avoid cushioned flooring, as it would not support easy wheelchair movement across the kitchen. Do away with rugs and carpets, as they may hinder free movement of a wheelchair.

Consulting the person in the wheelchair

Though you may have some idea about making your kitchen more wheelchair friendly, it is always preferable to consult the person in the wheelchair to determine what is it that he or she would want changed in the kitchen to make it more accessible. Different people have different needs, and talking to the person before making any adjustments to your kitchen is very important to fulfill those needs.

With just a few design modifications, your regular kitchens can be turned into wheelchair accessible kitchens, providing much needed comfort and convenience to the physically challenged members of the family.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

For more information on wheelchair ramps or wheelchair accessible kitchens contact an accessibility expert at BarrierFree.org

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