Disability home modifications

One way of compensating for a disability is to try and overcome any features in the environment that are obstructive or challenging, however the other way is simply to change the environment and make it more disability friendly.

The second solution is something that governments and councils are continually trying to work at in most Western countries, however it is a much easier task when it comes to modifying your own home environment.

The big problem is of course budget and money. What you can spend limits what you can do and what you can do is restricted by the resources at your disposal. Even so there are many modifications, alternations and additions that can be applied to a home to make it more accessible, either to someone who uses a wheelchair, or for someone who finds walking and moving around physically demanding.

One of the big challenges is negotiating levels, be they a couple of steps into a house, or the stairs between floors and there are a number of solutions.

Perhaps the simplest step-overcoming solution is the ramp. Ramps can be temporary or permanent and they are perfect for dealing with small changes in height providing that there is enough incline for the slope of the ramp. For larger height differences there are lifts and more commonly stairlifts. These can be adapted to almost any house and they can be used by anyone whatever their mobility challenge.

Another good home modification is the application of different types of rail. Rails can be used in any number of places from bathrooms to hallways and they give someone a strong fixed tubular projection that they can hold on to. Rails can be simple straight tubes, or they can be curved, angled or project outwards beyond an object like a was basin.

Another part of the home environment that can be modified and adapted for someone with mobility challenges is the often forgotten about garden.

Gardens are a great source of pleasure for many people, but those in wheelchair, or those who struggle to bend down, often feel (wrongly) that this is a hobby that they cannot partake in anymore. This is an incorrect assumption and there are many ways in which a garden can be made disability friendly.

One easy option is to use planters and garden pots that bring the level of the garden up to the arm level of the hobbyist. Many standard pots satisfy this requirement, so there is not need to make special purchases or have bespoke planters made.
More ideas and information covering adaptations and modification for the home can be found here by searching the web. Examples includes things like adding a downstairs half bathroom and replacing standard switches with more tactile alternatives.