Living with a disability can make performing everyday tasks more difficult, especially around the home. Fortunately, there are ways to gain funding that helps to add improvements to your residence that make it safer and easier to live in. These improvements are intended to assist people with disabilities to live a more independent lifestyle. Here is a brief list of the types of funding you can look into, as well as some ideas about what to do once you’ve been granted the money.
Grants and Programs
It’s a good idea to first seek local assistance when it comes to researching more about potential funding for making your home accessible. Your neighborhood authority might have specialized information for the local residents, which is worth looking at before investigating further afield.
There are several types of grants and programs that someone with a disability can apply for, each from different organizations. Here is a short overview of each:
- Veterans Affairs – This department offers funding to service members and veterans with particular disabilities. The money is granted for people to be able to modify their homes to suit their accessibility needs. This grant applies to people who already own their home.
- The Travis Roy Foundation Grant is for people whose disability comes from a spinal cord injury as a result of an accident. There is no age requirement for this grant and it can be used for modifications to the home.
- The Department of Agriculture Rural Development is for people living in low-income households who are aged 62 or older. While there is a grant option, there is also the option for someone of any age to apply for a loan to modify their home to suit accessibility needs.
Types of Alterations
Once you have the funding available to make the necessary changes to your home, it can be difficult trying to think of where to start. There are two types of modifications – major and minor. Minor modifications include changing faucets or installing hand rails, whereas major modifications would be along the lines of widening doorways or lowering the kitchen counters to accessible height. The type of modification might have an effect on the amount of money required to complete the alteration.
Stairs
Steps and stairs can pose a huge problem for people with mobility difficulties. Adding a ramp and hand rails can make life easier, but an excellent method of traveling between levels is to install a lift. Visit the suppliers website for more details on what you can expect from your home elevator.
Kitchen
As mentioned before, lowering the counters of the kitchen can make cooking much simpler. In addition to this, installing a mid-height oven and creating space for the feet of a wheelchair user beneath the cabinets all help to make your kitchen a safer and more accessible room.
Bathroom
Make sure there is enough room surrounding your toilet to allow for suitable wheelchair maneuvers. Place hand rails throughout the bathroom and install a seat in the bath tub or shower for added comfort.