Accessibility
Andy and Kim visiting the Craig Hospital Garden, Englewood, CO
As I come to terms with my grief, acceptance of the situation is becoming easier. My eyes are no longer leaking at the drop of a pin and I’m finding inner peace again. This is a good thing, as I am now able to move forward without feeling lost.
With this acceptance, new realizations are emerging. The latest has to do with accessibility and ADA compliant and what that looks like. Our first home modification meeting at Craig was an eye opener. Andy will be returning home in May in a wheelchair. We are going on the assumption that this will not be a permanent thing but of course the future is unknown, so this is more of a hope than a concrete reality. If I’ve learned anything with this experience, realities are anything but concrete and things can change on a dime with no warning. To survive, adaptation is of the utmost importance.
Our home modification was all about adaptation and how to make our house accessible to Andy and his new reality, which is in turn my new reality. Technically, because our home is a private residence it doesn’t have to be ADA complaint. What I discovered when taking different measurements in our home such as doorways, bathrooms, hallways etc… was that in its current state, our house is nowhere near complaint. Andy can get through the front door. The overall main living area and kitchen is an open floor plan, so both work with his current situation. The rest of the doorways are a little tight and some are not wheelchair accessible at all. This also proves problematic regarding accessibility to bathrooms!
I’ve never liked the doors in our house. They are cheaply made and old. We’ve lived with them because remodeling the main house was not the focus, getting the business off the ground was our priority. Andy’s stroke and the fact that he will be wheelchair bound for the next few months if not year, changes this priority and brings it to the forefront! Realizing Andy’s ability to move through his own house is hindered is a wake-up call. It is no longer about the aesthetics of our house but its functionality and accessibility. Our “forever” home is Andy’s house, and he should be able to move through it and live within it whether he is in a wheelchair or not.
To make this happen, I’ve researched what ADA compliant is, doorways should be a minimum of 32” wide with the doors opening to a 90-degree angle. Hallways also need to be 32” wide. Our front door meets this requirement, the rest of the doorways do not. Without moving entire walls, one of which is load bearing, some rooms will just not be accessible, for example our guest bedroom will be off limits. This in the grand scheme of things is not a big deal. I am going to explore the rest of the rooms and if it is possible to make them ADA complaint I will. The challenge will be cost, but as the construction materials will most likely be few, I’m hoping it is doable. By the time this blog posts, I will have met with a contractor to see what is possible.
If I can pull off making the house more ADA accessible, the priorities include, moving and widening the master bedroom door, widening the master bathroom door and the door to Andy’s walk-in closet which is off the master bathroom. Creating a new and wider door into the library which will act as Andy’s office for the time being. The original door is off a narrow hallway on the south side of our house which will prove to be tight for Andy’s wheelchair and challenging to turn within the hallway. By moving the doorway to another wall that is accessible in the main living area, Andy will no longer have this challenge. The guest bathroom will be the most difficult to update as there is little to no space on either side of the door frame. This means we might have to widen the whole bathroom by moving one wall over by a foot or so, this will allow us to expand the doorway. The good news is the guest bathroom wall is not load-bearing. In its current state, there is no way Andy could access that bathroom in a wheelchair. This bathroom is important because it has a shower stall that is larger enough to accommodate equipment that can help people in wheelchairs transition from the toilet to the shower and back again. Our master bathroom soaker tub is another option, but it may require more renovations to make it waterproof. As it is a soaker tub, it is low to the ground and the walls surrounding it are not tiled.
The other area I need to address is the back door to the mudroom. If possible, the doorway should be widened, and a temporary ramp will need to be constructed over the steps that lead down to the mudroom. If we can do that, then we can create a second exit to the outside. Currently, the mudroom has three doors leading outside. If we utilize the door that opens onto patio number one (we have two patios) it will need to be replaced as it does not work properly. These changes will give Andy two exit points which is what is ‘in theory’ legally required. If we can’t change this last bit, then I will need to call our local fire department to let them know we have someone in a wheelchair living in the house and there is only one functioning exit. In a dangerous situation, for example a fire, this is not ideal.
Prior to Andy’s stroke, I wouldn’t have thought of these things, in my mind our house was perfect. Sure, it needed to be renovated but it was ‘livable’ or so we thought… now it is not livable for Andy and I’m realizing yet again just how much I take for granted in life. Being able to move around freely in your own home truly is a gift. I hope that I will be able to make these home modifications for Andy. If I can make this happen, it will allow him to live life comfortably in his own home. Then Andy can focus all his energy on healing and regaining the use of his right side and all that goes with it.
