My name is Pam and I am a Deaf person with a disability that requires me to do everyday things in a power wheelchair because I have Multiple Sclerosis and I cannot walk. I live with my sister, and we share a town home that was advertised as handicap accessible. When we toured the home, it was repeatedly mentioned during the tour that it was handicapped accessible (HC). If additional things were required/needed, I would be accommodated. We moved in. After living in the town home for 6 months, I can safely say the home is not truly accessible.
The Kitchen
The kitchen should be a place where everyone can cook, gather, and enjoy food, not a place where wheelchair users face constant barriers and unnecessary injuries. Accessible kitchen design requires more than meeting minimum building codes; it requires an understanding of how people who use wheelchairs move through and use the space every day.