If you want to increase wheelchair accessibility in your home, there are a few key areas that you’ll need to improve. Not sure where to begin? Here are some of the most important places in your home that need accessibility upgrades and what upgrades you should make first.

Bathroom

Bathrooms can be notoriously difficult to navigate for wheelchair users. Even the smallest tires for wheelchairs may have trouble navigating in such a small space. First, consider making your bathroom bigger. More space means more room to maneuver for wheelchair users. Next, invest in making your shower more accessible. If there’s a small step or lip, you have a few options. First, you can invest in a small ramp that eliminates the need for that step. If you’re going all out with your bathroom remodel, consider eliminating any lip or step and opting for a completely flat walk-in model. Shower chair seats are also an excellent accessibility investment for your bathroom.

Doorways

Unfortunately, most standard-size doorways simply aren’t wide enough for titanium wheelchairs to pass through. While making wheelchair alterations is a possibility, it may save you more money in the long run to make what alterations you can to the doors themselves. If remodeling is an option, that should be your first choice. With a few minor alterations, you can make your doorframes big enough for a standard wheelchair to fit through. If remodeling isn’t in the cards for you, then it’s possible to work with what you have. First, you can change the direction in which your doors open to create a little bit more space. If that doesn’t work, then you can try removing doors from their frames entirely.

Floors

When it comes to making your home more accessible, it’s important to keep your floors in mind. In most cases, tile or wood floors are going to be your best option for wheelchair accessibility. As nice as it might feel to have area rugs around your house, they pose the risk of getting caught up in wheelchair tires and causing accidents.

When you want to improve how accessible your home is, start with these improvements. You might be surprised at just how much easier it is to navigate with a wheelchair with a few small changes.