Increasing Accessible Storage

Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2011/05/05 - Updated: 2022/04/09
Topic: Universal Design - Publications List

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: Tips to help you stretch and organize your living space with universally designed accessible storage. Shelves can be part of the decor and serve as storage at the same time, not just for books and toys. Sweaters or shirts in the bedroom, small appliances in the kitchen, serving pieces in the dining room. Keep small items like socks, kitchen gadgets or loose photos in baskets or canvas totes on the shelves.

Introduction

Storage is one of the top requirements people look for in a home. For some that means deep closets or large basements or attics. For others, it means accessible storage; easy access to what you need without having to use a step stool or move things out of the way.

Focus

Tips to help you stretch and organize your living space with universally designed, accessible storage:

Use furniture with storage options:

Shelves can be part of the decor and serve as storage at the same time, not just for books and toys. Sweaters or shirts in the bedroom, small appliances in the kitchen, serving pieces in the dining room. Keep small items like socks, kitchen gadgets or loose photos in baskets or canvas totes on the shelves.

Many tables come with a lower shelf that can hold baskets or store favorite books.

A bench seat in the entryway can store shoes, gloves and scarves.

Nightstands can serve as storage too.

Rolling kitchen carts or trolleys store small appliances, serving pieces or craft materials. Roll it wherever you are setting things up, then move it out of the way until clean up time.

Make full use of your existing cabinets and closets.

A pull down closet rod makes use of the upper part of the closet you can't reach. The rod is on hinges with a handle to pull the rod down or push it back up.

Pull down shelving in the cabinet makes use of hard to reach areas, narrow pull out racks take advantage of small filler spaces between cabinets and pull out corner shelving makes use of the blind corner on a base cabinet.

When you store things you don't use every day, you still want to be able to reach them. With accessible storage, you can get organized and create lots of storage space that is easy to reach!

Author Credentials: Ian is an Australian-born writer, editor, and advocate who currently resides in Montreal, Canada. He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.