Awesome Accessible Architecture
Awesome Accessible Architecture
Accessibility features in products, devices, services, and architecture are usually included for people with disabilities. But everyone, not just people with disabilities, benefits from accessibility. Check out our list of awesome accessible architecture and designs.
1. Picnic Tables
A picnic is a wonderful way to get outdoors with family and friends. An accessible picnic table ensures that a person in a wheelchair is included in outdoor gatherings. Accessible picnic tables have a space that doesn’t have a bench so a wheelchair fits in along side the other seats.
2. Showers
The shower can be an inaccessible area for many people, particularly people with limited mobility. Many things can be done to make a shower more accessible. The shower on the left has a seat to make it less strenuous for a person to bathe. It also includes bars that can be held on to while showering, to help get up from the seat and for assistance while entering and exiting the shower. For the shower on the right, the accessible features have been integrated in to the design. A person has the ability to sit or lay back comfortably while having a shower. Sounds like heaven!
3. Sinks
These sinks have been designed with accessibility in mind. The sink on the left has a cut along the body of the piece to allow it to tilt according to the user’s height. By tilting on an axis, the design can be positioned to cater for standing and seated adults or children. The sink on the right has been designed for a person in a wheelchair to be able to access it, room has been left under the sink so that the front of a wheelchair can fit underneath.
4. Swimming Pools
Ramps are a great way to make swimming pools easier to get in and out of. People in wheelchairs, with limited mobility and elderly people can all benefit from having ramps built in to the pool. Many swimming pool ramps also have special slip-resistant material to allow easy access. 
5. Lever Door Handle
Standard round door knobs that need to be twisted can be quite difficult for many people to open. Lever door handles make it easier for people with limited mobility in their hands to have the ability to open doors by just pushing down. The image on the left shows a special device that goes over a standard round door knob to make it accessible.
6. Kitchens
Do you have a cupboard in your kitchen that’s hard to reach? Imagine not being able to look over the counter! These kitchens are designed specifically for people in wheelchairs. The counters, cupboards and drawers are all placed at a suitable height for a person in a wheelchair. These kitchens give a person in a wheelchair more independence and the ability to cook with ease.
7. Stairs and Ramps
Ramps can sometimes present challenges for designers and architects. But they’re incredibly important and useful for people with prams and in wheelchairs. These places have been made accessible by integrating a ramp into the stairs. They also look really cool!
