Special Needs Bathrooms – For Those with Disabilities

                                                                                         

For a long time United Kingdom bathrooms were strictly utilitarian and built in a "one size fits all" fashion. This did not pose a problem for much of the population but for others, the "standard" bathroom was something of a nightmare. People with special needs often have a hard time in bathrooms built for "normal" people.

Bathroom designers and builders understand that people with special needs have different requirements than those who do not. They design bathrooms specifically for people with special needs. These designers understand that people with special needs require bathroom fixtures that can hold a person's body weight. They understand that things need to be higher or lower and more accommodating than bathrooms that are built form before function.

Usually a bathroom that has been designed with a special needs person in mind will have a sink that stands alone and a toilet with a seat that is wider and either higher (for those who have trouble bending) or lower (for people who are shorter) and has a lot of space surrounding it for those who have to transfer from a wheelchair to the toilet.

A bathroom built for a special needs person will usually feature a shower stall with a seat that is separately contained. If there is a bath tub, the bath tub is usually equipped with jets and is raised up off of the floor to accommodate the transfer from a standing position to a sitting position or from a chair into the bath tub itself.

Finally, a bathroom that is created for someone with special needs usually has extra support mechanisms built around the room. These usually are found in the forms of bars and rods that are fixed to the walls to give the person something to hold on to as they transfer themselves from one area of the bathroom to another. There are usually support beams next to the toilet, near the tub and/or shower and next to the sink.

Many designers feel challenged by bathrooms for people with special needs because the contractors want to accommodate the clients' needs but they also realize that "non special needs" people might be using the bathroom as well. Accommodating both can be tricky.

When designing a bathroom for a person with special needs a good rule of thumb for the designer is to follow is "function before form."

About the author:

Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about boilers, central heating, plumbers in Dartford, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.

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