.jpg "This Little Miggy || Accessible Bathroom Round Up part 2")
.jpg "This Little Miggy || Accessible Bathroom Round Up part 2")
.jpg "This Little Miggy || Accessible Bathroom Round Up part 2")
There is one thing I might have done differently to make the space look and function even better for us. The plumbing on Elias’s side of the shower is prepared so that in the future, when we sell the house, someone could put a bathtub there (unless they happen to have a need for a shower bed themselves!). Unfortunately, the drain on that side is not very effective when used as a shower. We usually put the tubing from the shower bed going towards our shower to drain. I kind of wish we had made that wall into a real double shower situation. I think it would look great and I think it would function better for us right now. But overall, I’m so happy with how everything turned out! Every time I go in there, and especially when I’m giving Elias a shower, I feel so happy and thankful to have such a beautiful and functional space for our family!
*****
.png "This Little Miggy || Accessible Bathroom Round Up part 2")
.jpg "This Little Miggy || Accessible Bathroom Round Up part 2")
Team We, Seattle
Tell us about your accessible bathroom space! What specifically makes your bathroom accessible for you or your child’s needs?
Our daughter, Bird, has an ultra rare genetic disorder. She uses a wheelchair. Our bathroom has an ADA accessible turning radius, a large roll in shower and a tub with a medical chair that raises her in and out of the tub.
Any tips about your renovation that you care to share? For example, cost, finding the right contractor/architect, were you able to utilize grants or a non-profit, anything you wish you would have done differently?
When we moved into our home it was a 2 bedroom and (tiny) 1 bath. Fast forward ten years, We have two growing children, one of whom is a wheelchair user. One small bathroom no longer accommodated our needs. The remodel process was incredibly difficult. I did ton of research about grants and state funding but came up empty handed. Contractors were either wildly expensive or they did not call back at all. I ended up being the contractor, and the process went way over time wise and budget. We had a dirt floor in there for months while I fought to get a concrete team in. In the end, it is a beautiful, functional space.
We built an accessible bathroom in our basement even though the only way for our daughter to access it on her own is to roll out of the house and down through our driveway into the garage. We knew that in order to retrofit our main floor bathroom we would need to have a second bathroom so we could live through the remodel. So, that’s our next project. Expanding our main floor tiny bathroom is not feasible so we will simply be maximizing the existing floor space and adding accessible features like a wall mounted sink, widening the door and leveling the floor with the hall outside. Those changes will enable our daughter the ability to roll up to the sink for hand washing. We will be able to use the tub lift from our downstairs bathroom to help her in and out of baths.
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.jpg "This Little Miggy || Accessible Bathroom Round Up part 2")
.jpg "This Little Miggy || Accessible Bathroom Round Up part 2")
K.D., New York
Tell us about your accessible bathroom space! What specifically makes your bathroom accessible for you or your child’s needs?
I have cerebral palsy and rely on a power wheelchair and a personal care assistant. I also have chronic spinal pain that affects my mobility. With age, my mobility has declined somewhat. Not being a downer; just facts! With the help of a family member or aide, I can participate in a stand/pivot transfer. I can sit up on the toilet by myself if I hold the rail. With supervision, I can stand from my wheelchair and sit down in my shower chair if someone wheels the shower chair behind me.
The “roll in” shower is completely flat so I can bring the wheelchair up close with no lifting required. I have an adjustable hand shower so I can control the water and a wheeled shower chair with good locks (crucial!) There is a railing in the shower for transfers. The toilet is slightly raised with an elongated seat and a bidet unit. A hand rail is next to the toilet and an outlet is in the ceiling in case I ever need a ceiling lift. There is a lot of extra space around the toilet and shower for a personal care assistant. The sink can be rolled under and has an easy to operate faucet that pulls up/side to side instead of outward. The doors are pocket and tuck into the wall when open. We have a heating vent to keep the room warm, which helps with my spasticity. The room is very spacious and works well for disabled friends too.
Any tips about your renovation that you care to share? For example, cost, finding the right contractor/architect, were you able to utilize grants or a non-profit, anything you wish you would have done differently?
Definitely try to anticipate future needs. My mobility declined a lot in the last 20 years from aging and spasticity, so I’m glad we had the foresight to realize that I may lose some mobility over time. The roll-in shower is a god-send; I could never safely use a bathtub. The pocket doors save space but have gotten heavier for me to handle with age. However, those are the ones that work with our wall type.
If I could do it again, I’d install a longer railing next to the toilet so I could more actively partcipate in the transfer, because I wound up being able to help more than I anticipated. However, some of that strength has been lost again after my hip reconstruction. Like I said though, the pocket doors were a necessity and they occupy some of the area where we could have extended the wall for a longer rail. I would also install channel drains to better drain some of the water that inevitably gets on the floor when PCAs come in and out. We paid privately for the renovation, but in retrospect, I wish someone had encouraged us to explore if I may have been eligible for environmental modifications through the NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities Medicaid waiver. Because my school had few kids with disabilities and no knowledgeable social worker, I didn’t realize I could have been eligible.
Our contractor was a recommendation from the neighborhood. He did not have any specific ADA experience but he actually had better ideas than the ADA specialist we consulted. Sometimes a little common sense is better than a fancy title or specialization. If you have a mobility impairment and need lifting, I highly highly suggest avoiding bathtubs if you are able. If you need a PCA or caregiver, extra space around the shower is crucial. Renovation was completed in 2002, as part of a larger home remodel that included an addition (first floor bedroom, dining room, kitchen, and bathroom). We don’t recall the exact price, as 2 decades have passed, but would estimate the bathroom portion was about $15,000. I was 9 at the time and today I am 29.
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.jpg "This Little Miggy || Accessible Bathroom Round Up part 2")
.jpg "This Little Miggy || Accessible Bathroom Round Up part 2")
The Joy of Mira, New Jersey
Tell us about your accessible bathroom space! What specifically makes your bathroom accessible for you or your child’s needs?
Our daughter Mira, has Achondroplasia. This is the most common form of Dwarfism.
While renovating our children’s bathroom, we wanted to make the space, once full of obstacles, a safe and comfortable, yet stylish space for Mira AND her big sister Ellie who is average height. The custom built vanity played a central role in the transformation, equipped with a pull out step stool and a faucet positioned on the side of one of the sinks. We installed a standard tub with a height of 16″ as well as a vertical railing for her to hold while getting into the shower\tub. We also installed an adjustable shower head on a vertical slider so she can adjust the height of the shower head as she grows.Lastly, we made sure the light switches were lowered with an extender so she is able to control the on/off switch.The end result was a fully functional bathroom that has allowed Mira more freedom and privacy, which will serve her well as she gets older and becomes more independent.
Any tips about your renovation that you care to share? For example, cost, finding the right contractor/architect, were you able to utilize grants or a non-profit, anything you wish you would have done differently?
We met with several contractors and were very open and detailed about our wishes. We usually had Mira with us so they could get a feel for her and see the difficulties the past bathroom gave her. The right contractor presented US with his ideas and we worked together to make it work.
*****
.jpg "This Little Miggy || Accessible Bathroom Round Up part 2")
.jpg "This Little Miggy || Accessible Bathroom Round Up part 2")
Kiersty, Utah
Tell us about your accessible bathroom space! What specifically makes your bathroom accessible for you or your child’s needs?
My spouse uses a manual wheelchair. This means we need wider doorways for him to fit through, he needs spaces large enough to turn around in, and space under the sink to fit while using it.
1. The shower includes a bench and a handheld shower wand.
2. The doorways/entryways are all 36″ wide so his chair/wheels fit through.
3. His sink has no cupboards underneath so his chair will fit.
4. There is no “toilet room” door but it is all open so he can move from one space to the next.
5. There are grab bars by the toilet while help him stay situated when going to the bathroom.
Any tips about your renovation that you care to share? For example, cost, finding the right contractor/architect, were you able to utilize grants or a non-profit, anything you wish you would have done differently?
We built the house and added the modifications from the start. We built a semi custom home which meant that some things we could change, but each modification change would include a fee for the change.
*****
I want to thank Emma, Team We, K.D., Mira Moves Mountains and Kiersty, as well as ALL the individuals and families who shared their accessible bathroom spaces with all of us. Thank you for taking the time to take photos, do a write up and remember details both big and small that will surely help families and other individuals as they embark on accessible bathroom renovations in the future.
Again, if you have any questions or comments be sure to leave them below!
This is so interesting! I just started a Fellowship that focuses on accessible, inclusive housing for adults with IDD. I’ve been seeing different aspects of universal design and accessible housing I never considered. I toured a building in Portland that was built to be fully accessible and universal design. Elevator buttons were about 3-4 inches in diameter and accessed at foot level. There was a large kitchen on the top floor available for all offices in the building to use. The sink and stove both had buttons which allowed them to come in and out from the wall. Tall cupboards also had buttons that brought them down to a lower height and then back up to store. Oven door was a side door – a lot of things I hadn’t seen before (in the whole building, but the kitchen was the most interesting to me). I met with a builder who focuses on creating housing solutions that support behaviors and that blew my mind! So many things I’d never considered as part of accessible housing. One client would punch walls and continually break his hand. But they knew the behavior wasn’t going to stop, so they put a wall in the house that had a give to it and when he punched it, it absorbed the punch and he wasn’t hurting himself anymore. Another client would throw things down the toilet when stressed. It was a calming behavior to the client and it wasn’t going to change and it had gotten him kicked out of multiple apartments. So they created a toilet thats only function was for the client to throw things in and there was a system that cycled the objects through and the support worker could dig them out easily so it no longer plugged up pipes and caused problems for landlords. I’ve never looked at accessible design and thought about ways we can use it to support behaviors that are part of disability. Its amazing to see the problem-solving and solutions out there!
[…] I’m excited to finally be sharing our accessible bathrooms! But of course there is more than one way to do an accessible bathroom and I had 10 people who shared their bathrooms in 2 previous posts. You can see part 1 here, and part 2 here. […]