Accessible Home Design
Most existing and new housing, even in the wealthiest nations, lack basic accessibility features unless the designated, immediate occupant of a home currently has a disability. However, there are some initiatives to change typical residential practices so that new homes incorporate basic access features such as zero-step entries and door widths adequate for wheelchairs to pass through.
Deciding whether or not a home is accessible depends of course on the nature and extent of a persons disability. An accessible home is a house or apartment that enables an individual to do what he or she needs and desires to do as independently as possible.
For some people, access could be as simple as adding grab bars and a tub seat in the bathroom. However for wheelchair users, access may require ramping entrances, widening doorways, lowering counters, adding lever or loop-style hardware to doors and drawers, and modifying storage areas.
United States
In the United States, the 1988 Amendments to the Fair Housing Act added people with disabilities, as well as familial status, to the classes already protected by law from discrimination (race, color, sex, religion and country of origin). Among the protection for people with disabilities in the 1988 Amendments are seven construction requirements for all multifamily buildings of more than four units first occupied after March 13, 1991. These seven requirements are as follows:
An accessible building entrance on an accessible route.
Accessible common and public use areas.
Doors usable by a person in a wheelchair.
Accessible route into and through the dwelling unit.
Light switches, electrical outlets, thermostats and other environmental controls in accessible locations.
Reinforced walls in bathrooms for later installation of grab bars.
Usable kitchens and bathrooms.
The Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA), which became effective on March 12, 1989, extended the protections of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 to cover housing for people with disabilities. Under the FHAA, it is illegal to refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental of a dwelling, to refuse to process an offer, or to refuse a legitimate offer on the basis of an applicant's disability. The Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 establishes an administrative enforcement mechanism, provides stiffer penalties than the present act, and expands its coverage to include disabled persons and families with children.
First published in 1996, the Fair Housing Act Design Manual: A Manual to Assist Designers and Builders in Meeting the Accessibility Requirements of The Fair Housing Act provides clear and helpful guidance about ways to design and construct housing which complies with the Fair Housing Act. The manual explains the accessibility requirements of the Act, which must be incorporated into the design and construction of multifamily housing covered by the Act.
United Kingdom
Great Britain applies the most widespread application of home access to date. In 1999, Parliament passed Section M, an amendment to residential building regulations requiring basic access in all new homes.
This Best Practice Guidance (BPG) has been produced to provide advice on how to implement the London Plan policy on wheelchair accessible housing. London Plan policy states that at least 10% of new homes should be designed to be wheelchair accessible or easily adaptable for residents who are wheelchair users. The London Plan Supplementary Planning Guidance "Accessible London" lists the key features that make a home easily adaptable for wheelchair users.
While achieving accessibility may mean finding a new apartment or designing and building a single family home to the specifications that meet the needs of a person with a specific disability, it is often possible to adapt or modify current and existing housing using various assistive technologies.
Adaptations such as the door sill ramps, environmental control units, and proper lighting mentioned above are also beneficial to individuals with mobility and other physical disabilities, but further accessibility measures are often required for walker and wheelchair users, as well as those whose disabilities affect the use of their hands. One of the most important parts of wheelchair accessible construction in a home or business are bars and handrails. Grab bars and handrails are great accessories to have for those in wheelchairs, especially in the restrooms.
Home inspectors are very knowledgeable and if told before-hand that the home is for someone with disabilities, they can be very helpful in giving recommendations and suggestions or finding problems that may cause inconveniences for the diabled.
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