RSS Feeds: Handicap Showers and Bathroom Design
Handicap showers and bathroom design are important factors when considering the needs of people with disabilities, which are looked at in this article. Items covered will include the basic layout and space considerations as well as the requirements for a handicapped shower stall.
Many people who do not need these facilities tend not to give them a second thought. But when you have a person with disabilities that does have special needs, then a considerable amount of planning and forethought needs to go into the design and layout of a handicapped bathroom and the fittings, furnishings and accessories that go into it.
The first thing that needs to be considered is the general layout of the floor space as well as height restrictions on certain items to comply with the actual physical restrictions that, say a wheelchair user would be limited to. When you factor in the needs of a wheelchair user, you soon see that there needs to be plenty of space between items of furniture and bathroom fittings so that the wheelchair can safely pass and manoeuvre between them. Height restraints include those of the toilet, which must be of the correct height to enable a person to easily transfer to and from a wheelchair. Similarly, the wash basin and faucets need to be low enough to be easily used by a person sitting in a wheelchair, while the action of all faucets needs to be easy enough that a person with little strength in their hands can still operate them.
Handicap Showers
Handicap showers are generally much larger than a regular shower stall and therefore need to be planned into the handicap bathroom design layout before just about anything else, of course depending upon the waste pipe outlet points and hot and cold water inlet points. The shower stall itself will be fitted with heavy duty hand rails and a robust handicap shower seat that is capable of supporting a large and heavy person if necessary without collapsing. It will have room for a wheelchair to enter, turn and exit. It will also need either a gully covered with a mesh grid or a collapsible water retainer to prevent water from flooding onto the bathroom floor while still allowing wheelchair access without a step or solid water retainer to cause problems.
Good handicap bathroom design is all about putting the special needs of the user first and planning around those needs to create a space that is accessible, easy to use and a pleasure to spend time in so that the user can take a shower or use the facilities with dignity and ease.
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