Wheelchair Friendly Kitchen

[wheelchairfriendly]

We are hoping to replace our terrible kitchen within the next year or so. It is likely that in the future we will need it to be accessible for a wheelchair user, so we'll need to future proof. I wondered if anyone out there has any experience of getting this sort of kitchen fitted and whether you have any tips? Did you get any professional advice on what to think about?

Thanks - I have name changed just because this feels a bit personal.

I've fitted a wheelchair accessible kitchen for a client. I'm an architect.

A lot can be down with careful planning rather than specialised equipment. Utilising different height units, planning where equipment goes, what handles you use etc.

How you go about it depends a bit on the usage by the wheelchair user. Are they the primary user/cook or do they just need access, occasional use. Does it need to be used by other people as well or just the wheelchair user.

I would start by thinking what you need from the kitchen in some detail and write some lists

Check out resources like

https://wheelchichome.com/2017/08/08/my-top-design-favourites-for-wheelchair-accessible-kitchens/

www.akw-ltd.co.uk/blog/accessible-kitchens-top-10-inclusive-considerations/

https://www.kbsa.org.uk/inspiration/kitchen/accessible-kitchens/

https://www.magnettrade.co.uk/globalassets/21804mini-accessibility-brochuree_lores.pdf

Hope that helps

No experience but there are a few articles on Houzz that might be useful, for example:

www.houzz.com/houzz-tv/stylish-wheelchair-friendly-kitchen-for-an-avid-baker-stshtvvw-vt~121278055

www.houzz.com/houzz-tv/kitchen-opens-up-for-a-wheelchair-and-a-chef-is-born-stshtvvw-vt~97087493

These are USA I think but you could take some of the ideas and speak to a joiner about recreating them. Pinterest also has lots of useful pictures if you search under “wheelchair kitchen”.

Also just found this www.symphony-group.co.uk/freedom-features/ which is a kitchen range specifically for accessibility. Looks like it was designed by Adam Thomas www.adamthomasconsultancy.com/ who specialises in this.

It was a symphony group one we fitted in our clients house - it was social housing partnership funded so I'm not sure about costs but it needed to work for both the wheelchair user and her able bodied carers and we got feedback afterwards that it worked well.
I've done other accessible work but this was the only kitchen that was specifically and primarily for a wheelchair user.

Wren have done clever adaptations, their catalogue might give you ideas.

Things we like and use daily - induction hob so no heat around/in front of pots and pans and can slide them on and off the heat no lifting.

No cupboard under the hob so wheelchair fits. Hob in middle of lowered work surface (there’s a lovely rise and fall style one but it was mega expensive so we went budget). Cupboards under work surface e on wheels not bolted in so can be moved out to get wheelchair under more of the work surface.

Side by side fridge and freezer with high use items at easy grabbing height in the middle.

Spinny turntables in cupboards to reach things at the back more easily.

Microwave on work surface.

Tumble dryer raised up so easy to reach into.

Slide and hide oven so no hot door to navigate past - and oven at comfortable middle height for wheelchair user.

Things we didn’t get and regret - space under the sink and/or a side tap not at the far edge of the work surface where it can’t be reached. Wider turning circle. Sockets reachable without standing up.

Symphony are very good, though I've never been in a position to fit one.

Presalit does the rise and fall units.

Other useful ideas are the pull out larder, drop down baskets and counter top mounted sockets.

This is all brilliant advice, thanks so much everyone!

Another thing, with the oven either side door (not many on the market) or one of those slide aways (possibly Neff) just to make access either.

@AfternoonToffee we have the neff. It’s brilliant. With the side door, you still have to wheel backwards whilst carrying a hot pan to get past it. With the slide and hide, you’re just moving things from a hot open box to the counter beside the hot open box.

Oh! Remembered another - a trolley with heatproof trays. Much much easier than juggling hot things in your lap.

@SilenceOfThePrams Slide and Hide sounds so much better than what I tried to call it

Do you find the spinny cupboard things useful? The tap position sounds useful as well.

(Just for clarity I'm involved in spec'ing kitchens for a HA, I am always happy to go back at them with more suggestions. Trouble is the kitchens are generally pretty tiny)

@AfternoonToffee it’s mixed. Useful for light things but rubbish for pans and baking trays etc. Better in a food cupboard but we keep our food in a different cupboard.

Don’t like the clever corner cupboard pully-outy-things, ours is forever getting jammed.

Our tap is in the standard place and wheelchair user can’t reach it - has to use bathroom tap instead or we fill a jug for them. So a tap nearer to us would be useful.

Best tip I ever came across, in addition to things already mentioned, is to maximise drawer storage (including corner pull out carousels & pull out larder units) in preference to shelves in the base units. It makes it easier to reach to the back and makes the most of what can be limited low level storage (given how much is lost to knee space below hob and sink.
Pull down baskets can, I think, be flimsy and might not hold much. I've also been told they can be heavy to manipulate.
Think about controls and sockets and the need to make them accessible, factoring in appliances that are not kept out on the worktop but are stored away and only brought out for use. You need to be able to reach the socket to push the plug in and pull it out again.
Rise and fall units for hob and sink are worth it if you can afford it, especially if you want to make it accessible for someone standing as well as sitting. You can get them in an L shape, if your space permits.

Thank you for starting this thread @wheelchairfriendly We need to make our kitchen wheelchair friendly as our ed uses a wheelchair out and about and is likely to need to use it in the house too. When she was at uni her kitchen had a rise and fall worktop and sink area, but that was it really. I have bookmarked a load of the suggested sites and am keen to hear more of what people found helpful. Of course we will talk it through with her when we do it, but it's good to be able to put forward ideas. It's also really nice to see such nice adapted kitchens, not just all utility like.