Oldmanwheeler

Yes, Eric and David you right I have learned a lot over the last four years. I have to share a funny story with you. The other day my wife and I went to a college basketball game at a major university and I had to use the restroom which was located on the same level as the handicap seating so one would expect a smooth run. The door to the restroom didn't have a power door opener but I was able to use my power wheelchair to push it open and once it was open there was a 90 degree turn which was no problem. So once inside I went and did my business. I headed back to the entrance to the restroom to go back to my seat but I inorder to open the door I had to pull in front of it in order to grab the handle and quickly discovered that I couldn't open the door because my wheelchair was in the way. I tried several techniques but nothing worked so I had to sit in the rest room until someone came in to use it so I could get out. I was only 10 min or so but it seem like an enternity. I happen to run into the Athaletic Director later that night and explained to her what happen and her response was it meet ADA code. My wife stayed to watch the end of the game but I left with about 5 min left and headed to the car. When I got out to one of the 3 handicap stalls, yes a major univeristy and only three hadicap stalls! there was an SUV parked in the striped area betweent my vehcile and the one next to me. I was unable to get into my vehcile because of this and I notice it had a state license plate on it. As I waited in the cold out walked that same athletic Director got in the vehcile and drove off. Not one word as I sat there in the cold. I laugh about it now but at the time I was verious and wrote to the president of the University. He apologised and said he would talk to the AD. As for the restroom, I now have to have my wife come with me and wait out side so when I'm done I can get out. Hope you all had a great and safe New Years Day. Sorry for any typos but my fingers don't work all that well, but at least I have been blessed with a second chance at life.

Wow 32383238Ca that would be awesome. I'll get that info together and get it to you hopefully tomorrow. Thanks again.

Thanks Kbird, I add the version to my signature as you suggested. Also thanks for the feedback.

Hi David, Thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately, the Government's ADA recommendations fall way short of what those of us in wheelchairs actually need to be independent. Most architects and builders believe that if they follow the governments ADA guidelines they are building a truly accessible home and that is true if you only look at the governments guidelines; however, talk to the person in that home who is in a wheelchair and they will be quick to tell how the many short falls that prevent them from living an independent life. For others who might read this and wonder what I mean here are a few examples. In most cases a 36" doorway is considered ADA compliant; however, anyone with an oversize wheelchair or even a power wheelchair, well barley fit through a 36" opening; therefore, a 42" open would be the better choice. Most garages in an ADA home are built 2 - 3 feet wider but if you have to transfer from the passenger seat to a wheelchair that is not enough room and in the winter time you have to leave the garage door open so you can get around your vehicle. An additional 4' needs to be added to the length of the garage and to the width for a standard two stall garage. The last example I'll give is most bathrooms have a shower stall designed that meets ADA requirements but they often have a 1 - 2" lip making it impossible for a person in a wheelchair to get into the shower without doing dangerous transfers on a wet floor. My next shower will have a tiled floor so I can roll right into the shower with my shower chair, the floor will slope towards an oversize drain and I'll have an additional drain outside the shower allowing any water that gets out to drain away. These are just some common oversights but if you visit with an individual who actually has to live life in a wheelchair I promise you they can give you a much longer list of what I often refer to "what the reality of it really is". By the way, my wife of 30 years is an Occupational Therapist and she often tell others that the best thing the came out of my accident was that she now understands that once her patients get home they have a whole new set of obstacles to overcome. So when she goes to the patients homes she is much more observant in the little things that allows her clients to be as independent as possible and that can be very difficult in many of the older homes. I hope this helps some of you out there better understand that just because a house or building mets ADA Code does not been that that building is truly accessible. Thanks for taking time to read this and hopefully it got you thinking.

Hello, I am in a wheelchair and I purchased Home Designer Pro in order to design our next home. Pretty much every home we have looked at that has been identified as "handicap accessible" or "wheelchair accessible" have been designed by individuals who have never spent a minute in a wheelchair, let alone have to live in one. I believe for a house to be truly handicap accessible it needs to be designed by a person who is living their everyday life in a wheelchair; therefore, I want to put my ideas and design on paper to better show an architect what I want to accomplish. Does anyone out in HomeTalk land know of any sites where I could download the a basic handicap accessible floor plan that I can make modifications to. I built a floorplan in HD-Pro but the more details I add the more errors I end up creating so if I can find a solid plan that I can start from it might help avoid these errors. The biggest things I run into are walls that seem to go on forever, roof line's that don't match up, holes showing up in the floor when something is move, landscape that does not follow the flow of the house and in some cases a walkout basement that is 6' underground or a front porch that is 6' feet in the air. Everytime I fix one error two more seem to show up. Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions or know of any sites I might check out please let me know. Thank you.

First let me say how thankful I am to finally have a native MAC version of Home Designer PRO. THANK YOU Chief Architect! Has anyone figured out how to setup the MAC Pro version to use Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). Secondly, does anyone know of a site that would help in designing a Wheelchair Accessible home? Items of most interest are Accessible Kitchen, Accessible Bathrooms, Elevator, and Dimensions for hallways, doorways, etc.... Thank You Oldmanwheeler Council Bluffs, IA