If you are wheelchair bound, you will definitely need to make some changes to your lifestyle and your living

environments so you do not have difficulty getting around and accessing things at home. We have compiled some tips you might find handy when you are considering how to increase the wheelchair accessibility of your home

Easy Wheelchair Access Indoors

• Remove loose carpets or rugs to facilitate movement.
• Change doorknobs to lever-type handles.
• Replace narrow doors with pocket doors or even curtains so you have no trouble getting from room to room or even entering the house while you are on your wheelchair.
• Move furniture to allow at least a 32-inch path and a 5-foot turning radius. There is nothing more annoying than not being able to move freely within your own home.
• Add a 36-inch string to each door handle. A wheelchair user can use this to pull the door closed when moving through the doorway.
• Add furniture coasters or decorated, small blocks of wood to raise tables and desks above knee level.
• Tack or glue down small, wedge-shaped pieces of wood or metal to serve as mini ramps over high door thresholds.
• Use drop leaf, roll-away carts for kitchen work areas.
• Change bathroom vanity-style sink fixtures to pedestal types.
• Change the toilet to a taller, narrower handicapped toilet to permit access by commode wheelchair.
• Install grab bars as necessary in the bathroom.
• Install a nonslip floor in the bathroom.
• Install a hose/nozzle system in the shower.
• Put in a water-powered ascending/descending tub seat.
• Install lever handles on kitchen and bathroom sinks.
• Consider changing appliances to front-control, front-access types.
• Plan an emergency exit for the wheelchair user.

Easy Wheelchair Access Outdoors

• Install a ramp for at least one entrance/exit of the dwelling. The ramp should be built at no more than a 1-to-12 gradient.
• Convert gravel walks to concrete for all-weather access.
• Construct ramp access to the garage or carport to allow sheltered entrance into and exit from a vehicle.
• Move the mailbox to an accessible point.

Making some of these changes to your home might seem tiresome and you might even get put off by the costs of these wheelchair accessibility changes. However, you must understand that if you are confined to your wheelchair for the long term, it is important that you maximise wheelchair accessibility for your home. Therefore, even though it might be expensive in the beginning, it is a capital investment that will prove to be very useful and helpful in the long run.