While shopping for a new home is always difficult, for individuals who use a wheelchair it can be even more difficult, therefore it is important to understand what you should for in a wheelchair accessible home. While it can be relatively simple to construct a ramp in order to make a home wheelchair accessible, there are also a variety of other factors which should be taken into consideration in order to make the home convenient and easy to life in.

You may not be aware of it, but there are actually realtors which specialize in the sale of properties which are wheelchair accessible. This can help you to narrow down the field of homes to only those which are wheelchair accessible rather than viewing tons of homes which will not meet your needs and may require expensive and time consuming modifications.

One of the first features of a potentially wheelchair accessible home which you must consider are all entrances and exits. Keep in mind that the doorway should be at least 36 inches wide in order for it to be accessible to a wheelchair or power motility chair. If you find that a doorway does not quite meet these minimum requirements you may be able to make some slight adjustments such as replacing regular hinges with hinges that swing clear. This can provide an additional one to two inches to the doorway.

You should also pay close attention to the sinks located in both kitchens and bathrooms, as these two locations cause some of the most frequent problems with a home being wheelchair accessible. Depending on the design of the vanity, it's quite possible that it could be lowered in order to make the right accommodations. Other modifications that can be easily made in order to make a home wheelchair accessible in the bathroom include installing grab bars and possibly raising or lowering the toilet.

In the kitchen, it may be more difficult to make modifications in order for the home to be wheelchair accessible without undertaking a lot of work and expense so you should pay careful attention to the kitchen area of all homes when house hunting. For example, in addition to the fact that the sink may be too high other common problems include the height of cabinets as well as electrical outlets and light switches.

If the cabinets are not already low enough they may need to be completely replace in order for the kitchen to be wheelchair accessible. All cabinets in the kitchen should allow sufficient space room for toe space. Other areas in the kitchen which may include modification include the range as most homes include a combo stove top and oven. In order for most homes to be wheelchair accessible, they will require a cooktop range with open space below instead of an oven or cabinets. An oven can be mounted in a separate location on the wall at a height that is low enough in order to allow for ease of use of a seated person.

While it can be difficult to locate a home that is wheelchair accessible and modifications to make a home completely wheelchair accessible can be expensive, the good news is that there are funding options available to help individuals in need of assistance pay for the implementation of assistive technology. Organizations which may possibly assist with making a home wheelchair accessible for those with need include the Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Urban Housing and Development, the USDA Rural Development as well as many state operated programs.