Wheelchair Accessible Shower

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A Wheelchair Accessible Shower Allows the Disabled to Feel Confident and Independent

Freedom to Meet Personal Needs with Wheelchair Accessible Sinks

Have you ever tried to sit down at a sink while washing your hands or watched a little child struggle to reach faucets that are just beyond their grasp? It's a frustrating feeling for anyone, and can be even more so for those who are confined to wheelchairs. Not only can't they reach the soap dispensers and handles to operate the water, but many times there isn't sufficient space surrounding a sink for them to manuever their wheelchairs into. Wheelchair accessible sinks give these people the ability to take care of their own needs, more independence, and much better self esteem.

Most public places are now aware of the requirements to include handicap accessible toilets in their restroom facilities and have complied, but most have not addressed the problem of sink placement. You can see this almost every time you enter a public restroom. How many of them have one sink that's lower so that wheelchair patients can reach it more easily? I've been in airports, restaurants, museums, rest stops, and many other public places, but I can't recall ever having seen a lower sink. Drinking fountains, yes, but sinks, no.

Hygiene is just as important for the disabled as it is for us. They don't want to get diseases from unclean hands, just like we don't. Many of them carry supplies of wet wipes to help alleviate the problem. However, they shouldn't have to do so. It's relatively easy to adapt any public restroom into one that includes a handicap accessible sink. For example, there are sinks that mount on adjustable brackets so that they can be raised and lowered to suit the needs of every individual. Even in public restrooms that have only one sink or in the bathroom of a home, adjustable models are small enough to fit in the space of existing sinks.

One of the most important aspects of wheelchair accessible bathrooms is that it have plenty of free space surrounding it to allow the user to get their chair up to where they need it to be. Wall sinks are an excellent choice, because there is nothing underneath them to block passage. The era of enclosed vanities made access difficult for the handicapped, but now we realize that it's a public duty to accommodate these people in every way we can.