Carrying a bride across the threshold is a romantic image that is portrayed lovingly in movies and soap operas. But what if the threshold to your home has become an impediment to your ability to come and go freely? Being carried across the threshold will quickly lose its glamour.

The Americans with Disability Act (ADA) establishes minimum standards for commercial and non-profit enterprises to minimize discrimination and ensure accessibility when designing and constructing a new facility or altering an existing facility. In the public housing sector, for example, funds are being expended to make more low income apartments accessible to people who use wheelchairs. Contractors are now required to follow ADA standards and to consider including the more comprehensive ADA guidelines in their designs.

But what about being able to access private homes? Most of us don't consider the difficulties many people have trying to simply go through a door until someone who uses crutches, a walker, scooter or wheelchair would like to come to visit. At that time we notice that the threshold is impossible to negotiate, knuckles get scraped on the door that doesn't open wide enough and doorknobs become a challenge to turn.

Making your home accessible, and therefore 'visitable', begins with the doorways. Dynamic Living offers some low-cost specialized adaptive hardware and ideas that can help to open the door to our family, friends and neighbors.

Whether your hands are filled with grocery bags or school books, or pained by arthritis, round doorknobs can be problematic. They need to be twisted in order for the bolt to release from the latch. Here are some options to consider:

• Lever Handles offer a nice decorative touch and are considerably easier to use than round knobs. You can push lever handles with the side of your hand or an elbow.

• If you can't afford to change all of the knobs in your home, there are adaptive devices that can be installed over the current knob. One inexpensive solution is the Great Grips cover, a soft rubber-like aid with a small protrusion that enables you to turn knobs or faucets with less effort. Another option is the Leveron Doorknob Adapter which converts a round knob into a levered handle.

For people who are using an ambulatory device like a rollator, walker or wheelchair, passing through a doorway can be a bruising experience.

• The average doorway is 32" wide. Most people don't realize that several inches of that space is actually taken up by the door itself, leaving less than 30" in which to maneuver. Due to their elongated shape, offset hinges can solve the problem by pushing the door open an additional 2", letting you fully utilize the existing space within the door frame. These specialty hinges use the same screws and holes as the existing hinge, making them easy to install.

• Sometimes the raised threshold at the door is a major obstacle. Threshold ramps offer a way to provide smooth access over the threshold without interfering with the functioning of the door. Lightweight aluminum ramps will not rust or corrode and provide a durable non-skid surface that is much easier to negotiate than the raised threshold.

• If you kick the door with your foot or consistently bump into it with the rollator, you can diminish the wear and tear of these collisions on the door by adding a decorative kickplate. This metal piece covers 8" to 10" and the full width of the bottom of the door, preventing scratches and scrapes.

If you have difficulty answering the front door when a visitor comes, you might wish to consider a few additional devices that can be very helpful:

• Use a lock box to safely store spare keys for family members, caregivers, cleaning people or repair services. Provide the visitor with a code so they can let themselves in. After they leave, you can change the code so they can't get in again without your permission.

• Getting arthritic fingers around small knobs, like a dead bolt lock, can be difficult for some people. This knob can be turned easily with the Universal Turner, a tool that covers the knob and uses a long handle to make it easy to turn.

Passing through a doorway should not be an obstacle to spending time with friends and family. Although it would be ideal to be able to design appropriate access before the home is built, that is not always possible. But with a modest investment, most doorway barriers can be removed.

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© Copyright 2002 Dynamic Living, Inc.
Dynamic Living Newsletter may only be redistributed in its unedited form. Written permission from the editor must be obtained to reprint or cite the information contained within this newsletter.

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