Contact Us
Carmichael House,
North Brunswick St.,
Dublin 7,
Ireland.
Tel. 01 8730455
01 8730986
Fax: 01 8730998
Email:
info@dublincil.org
Lifetime Adaptable
Some accessible features such as knee spaces under sinks and counters and grab bars in bathrooms are obvious and change the way an accessible dwelling looks and how it is used. The small numbers of accessible dwelling units required to be accessible by law are intended to be usable by and rented to anyone and not held open exclusively for disabled people.
Adaptable features are either adjustable or capable of being easily and immediately added or removed to "adapt" the unit to individual needs or preferences.
An adaptable dwelling unit has all accessible features that a fixed accessible
unit has, but allows some items to be omitted or concealed until required.
Wide doors, no steps, knee spaces, control and switch locations, grab bar
reinforcing and other access features must therefore be built in. Grab bars
however can be installed when needed. Knee space can be concealed by installing
a removable base cabinet that can be removed when needed or by installing
self-storing cabinet doors that fold and slide back.
Counter tops and closet rods can be placed on adjustable supports rather than
fixed at lower heights as required for some wheelchair users. Adaptable features
allow fully accessible dwellings to be closely suited to their users and marketable
to anyone.