PLANNING FOR AN ACCESSIBLE BATH
Accessibility is a real issue. Simply having room for a full bath instead of a half-bath on the first floor would have allowed her to remain in her house. In other cases, bathrooms need to be adaptable to people with walkers, or people who use wheelchairs, or people with other physical limitations. Because bathrooms serve such a specialized and necessary function, they should be planned for a lifetime of use by people with a wide range of abilities. It is simply unrealistic to expect that a household will never need a bathroom facility to accommodate people who get old or who have physical limitations. This doesn't necessarily mean that specialized—and therefore expensive equipment is required. Space planning can go a long way toward making a bathroom accessible. So can the judicious use of grab bars and handholds. In some instances, specialized fixtures might become necessary, but usually adapting conventional fixtures by providing plenty of room, sufficient handholds, and supplemental access is enough.
In many cases, neglecting the issue of accessibility is prohibited by law. Federally funded housing projects and commercial construction typically fall within the jurisdiction of standards published in such guidelines as the American National Standards Institute's A117.1 (updated in 1981 to include standards for private dwellings), the Uniform Federal
Accessibility Standard (UFAS) of 1985 (for dwellings in federal projects), the 1988 Fair
Housing Amendments Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. While these laws don't all have the same specific provisions and don't generally apply to private residential construction, their common goal—to provide equal access to bath facilities for people with a wide range of abilities can and should be incorporated into residential design.
Sometimes, simply making the bathroom adaptable—that is, capable of being altered by
adding or removing certain elements—for persons with varying degrees of disabilities is
enough. This can mean providing blocking in the framing to accommodate the installation of grab bars or installing a base cabinet under a basin that can be removed later to provide knee space for someone in a wheelchair. Sometimes, though, accessibility considerations challenge conventional construction wisdom and economics. The fact that first-floor halfbaths can be inserted into such small spaces at relatively small expense is one of the reasons why they are so popular. A full-size bath locations where grab bars might be necessary. This is relatively inexpensive because framing
cut-offs generated during construction can typically be used, but it does limit future grabbar locations to areas where the blocking is installed. Another approach is to sheath all of the interior walls with 3/4-in. plywood, then install drywall over the plywood. This method is more expensive, but it allows the grab bars to be mounted anywhere on the wall.
Clearances
While NKBA recommendations for grab-bar locations are generally sound, in many cases
their recommendations for clear floor space conflict to some degree with federal accessibility guidelines. For example, NKBA Guideline 23 recommends 16-in. clearance (15-in. minimum) from the centerline of a toilet to a sidewall or other fixture. People who use a wheelchair or a walker would probably find that dimension extremely cramped, if not impossible, and would consider the wider 18-in. clearance required by most federal agencies the minimum.
Bathroom fixtures should have at least a 30-in. by 48-in. clear floor space in front of each fixture (NKBA #3), and there should also be room for the 5-ft. turning radius generally recommended for wheelchairs. If possible, toilets should be located so that they are easily accessible from either side (although toilets located in a separate compartment can only be approached from the front, which limits their use by some people).
Entries and doors
Entryways need to be at least 32 in. wide to accommodate wheelchairs (NKBA #1). If possible, try to make the door swing out into the hallway rather than inward. That way, if someone has fallen or needs assistance in the bathroom, the door can be opened easily. One way to eliminate the problem of door swing is to use pocket doors. Though more costly to install, pocket doors slide completely out of the way and make entry and exit for someone in a wheelchair much easier.
It's also a good idea to eliminate thresholds and height transitions in the entryway. They can be stumbling blocks for people using walkers or wheelchairs. Either bring one floor up to the level of the other, or gradually shim up the low side so that the transition isn't abrupt. And make the finish flooring a nonslip material, or install nonslip strips. For example, ceramic tile with a matte finish is less slippery than glossy tile.
Accessible fixtures
A typical sink sits on a 30-in.-high by 22-in.-deep cabinet topped by a countertop. Unfortunately, this arrangement is very difficult for people in wheelchairs to use. They need to get in closer than the cabinet will allow, which is why most federal standards require an open area underneath the sink. Sinks are also usually too low at 30 in.; most people except children and very short people prefer a sink somewhere near 32 in. off the floor, though I've installed sinks up to 36 in. high. In general, a 32-in.-high sink is a good compromise for most people.
Wheelchair users need an open 27-in. clearance between the floor and the front rim of the sink (NKBA #12), so a vanity base is going to get in the way. Wall-hung and pedestal sinks most easily meet this requirement, but they don't provide any undersink storage. If you are planning with future accessibility in mind, one solution is to provide removable cabinetry under a wall-hung sink or a sink mounted in a built-in countertop. That way, knee space can be created without removing the entire sink. If plumbing is exposed under the sink, you'll need to cover or insulate the supply pipes and drain and make sure there are no sharp surfaces.
The problem with most standard toilets is that they are too low, which makes them difficult to use for people of limited strength. Toilets should be 17 in. to 19 in. high, the height of standard seating, but most toilets are about 15'2 in. high. Wall-hung toilets are available that are the right height, provide more clear floor space, and make it easier to clean under and around the toilet. Another option is a power-elevating toilet seat that mounts on a conventional toilet. Or a seat mounted on an aluminum frame that fits around a conventional toilet can also raise the seat height, while providing a graspable handhold.
Bathroom Floor Plan
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Sink
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Toilet
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Toilet
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Bath
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Shower
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If you've ever tried to give a young child a bath, you know that the traditional bath has a few flaws. For one thing, it's too low, not only for a parent bending over to scrub a tiny body, but also for many people who have difficulty getting up from a seated position, much less from floor level. Also, baths can get pretty slippery, and many of them don't have much to grab onto if someone starts to fall.
Strategically located grab bars and handholds are an important first step in making a bath area accessible. There should also be an 18-in.-wide seat capable of supporting 250 lb. per sq. ft. either added to one end of the bath or securely mounted in the bath area itself. Raising the bath on a platform that brings the rim up to conventional seat height will make it easier for small children to get in and out of the bath. And while trackmounted sliding-glass shower-door enclosures are popular, they make access difficult, and ADA 4.20.7 specifically prohibits rim-mounted tracks on baths. Rod-mounted shower curtains are a better choice.
A number of manufacturers are addressing the shortcomings of the traditional bath with designs that incorporate recent research and new technology. While these baths clearly offer more accessibility to a wider range of people, they are not inexpensive, ranging in price from £1,800 in a basic bath configuration to over $3,000 for whirlpool versions. On the other hand, showers designed to accommodate persons with a wide range of physical abilities are not significantly more expensive than "normal" showers. The addition of appropriate handholds, seating, and a bit more space can easily upgrade a conventional shower to an accessible one.
A 36-in. by 36-in. shower stall is large enough to fit most users, but it's compact enough that grab bars can be used for support on all sides. This size will fit the required seat yet still leave plenty of room for standing. An alternative shower plan fits in the 32-in. by 60-in. space of a conventional bath, and if there's no curb, a wheelchair can roll right into it. Curbless designs are best because they don't present an obstacle for wheelchairs or other walking aids.
Shower heads, shower controls and shower valves
A handheld showerhead mounted on an adjustable track is a great addition to a shower system and is a necessity for any accessible unit. There are a number of different styles available, and the addition of a long hose and a volume control makes these units perfect for washing kids, pets, and the shower itself afterward. Usually, the mounting track is 2 ft. long, so the showerhead is adaptable to a wide range of heights.
Shower controls should be mounted between 38 in. and 48 in. above the floor of the shower and should also be accessible from outside of it (NKBA #22). Lever-handled controls are simpler to operate than knobs and require less agility and hand strength. And now required by most building codes are valves that automatically regulate the water temperature of the shower should the hot/cold balance be disrupted (NKBA #21).
Bathroom accessories
Most bathrooms have a mirror mounted over the sink, but in many cases this mirror is too high to be of any use to someone in a wheelchair. Extending the mirror down to the
backsplash is one way of correcting this; another is to tilt the mirror down or to mount the
mirror so that it is tiltable. It's also a good idea to provide another full-height mirror elsewhere in the bathroom.
Planning for accessibility can also extend to such areas as light-switch selection. Rocker-style switches for bathroom lighting are easier to control for people with limited hand mobility than conventional single-pole switches. Another option might be a passive infrared occupancy sensor switch, which turns lights on in the presence of motion. This switch also saves energy because lights can't inadvertently be left on.
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