Design for Elderly and Disabled Environments Making Homes More Comfortable and Accessible Doors Part 2 of 10

Contents Common Barriers at Doors Remodeled Door Exterior Doors Interior Doors Additional Changes

Common Barriers at Doors Insufficient Space High Door Thresholds “Peep” Hole Knob Handles Lock Door Closers Narrow Doorways

Remodeled Door Consider locks that are operated easily without pinching, fine finger manipulation, or twisting. Consider level and loop handles.

Exterior Doors Hardware –Consider using loop or lever handles Hinge –Consider installing a swing away hinge Threshold –Thresholds with maximum height of half inch can be managed by most people Swinging

Exterior Doors “Peep” Holes –Consider adding a second “Peep” hole at a lower height Door Closer –The recommend level of force required to open exterior door is 8 lbs. & interior is 5 lbs.

Exterior Doors Double Door Replacement –Consider replacing equal size double doors with doors of unequal size to achieve a 32” clear opening. Reversing door swing –Sometimes reversing the swing or opening direction of a door will increase space on the latch side.

Exterior Doors Replacing Screen Doors –Consider using a door with at least 12” of sold material at the bottom to prevent damage from walkers and footrests of wheelchair.

Exterior Doors Hardware –Consider loop and blade handles that incorporate lever locking mechanism and remain exposed even when the door is open. Sliding Glass Doors

Interior Doors Swinging Doors –Consider eliminating an interior door where it serves no real purpose. –The door should swing out of the way of other doors, furniture, and access path. –Changing the door swing from into a room to out of a room may increase room space.

Interior Doors Handle Hardware Replacement –Consider loop handles for Bi-Passing Doors –Stops will be needed to keep the handles from striking the opposing door. –Bi-Passing Doors with loop handles can reduce the clear door opening. Interior Bi-Passing Doors

Interior Doors Handle Hardware –The best selection is the loop handle. A stop will be needed to keep the handle from striking the jam. Pocket Doors

Additional Modifications Install power door operators. Install bevel or short ramps. Install extra wide angle “Peep” hole on entrance door. Install auxiliary loop handles.