Workplace wheelchair accessibility issues / tips

Parking problems are one of the most common problems for anyone getting to their workplace. However, people with inconvenienced mobility face an even bigger problem trying to get into a building itself.  Apart from that, not all wheelchair users experience the same type of disabilities. Some are capable of walking short distances whilst others may have difficulties opening doors with just one hand. Thus wheelchair accessibility issues carry more depth than just being an added feature to a workplace. Most buildings that are declared as wheelchair accessible are fitted with basic amenities: hand-rails, ramps and a designated parking space close to the entrance of the building. However, it is some of the smaller details that make a wheelchair user feel welcome to a building and look forward to getting to work each day. Wheelchair accessibility covers the paths a wheelchair user follows everyday to work. This means he has to get full access from the parking lot to the entrance, the hallway, the elevators and their personal work place.

Entrance doors have to be at least 32 inches wide and passageways or curbs should be at least 36 inches wide. Elevators should be allotted a larger space requirement of at least 60 inches, to allow 180-degree turns inside the elevator. Furthermore, elevators should also be equipped with easy-to-reach level buttons preferably with raised Braille characters as well as floor level announcements. The issue of gaps between the elevator compartment and the floor itself is a commonly overlooked problem. Similarly, the gaps between the landing and accessibility ramps outside a building pose the same challenge.

Apart from that, accessibility facilities also have to include toilets, drinking fountains and even public phones for the physically challenged, all of which have to be installed at a reachable level with safety rails if necessary. Service counters should incorporate lower levels catered for wheelchair users. Other forms of accessibility considerations include the placement of objects (like trash-cans and warning signs) or even carpeting within a building. Ramps have to be clear of any obstructing objects whereas carpets on floor surfaces have to be securely fastened to prevent wheelchairs from slipping.

With the right accessibility facilities installed, wheelchair users will have a much better experience and greater mobility in the workplace.