Anyone who is mobile through the use of a wheelchair can tell you that bathrooms often pose significant accessibility issues. Simply entering the shower can create a major hurdle because of the edges that are used around the shower pan. These edges are raised several inches above the surrounding floor in order to keep the water inside the shower stall, but they also are too high to get a wheelchair over them safely or comfortably. It is possible to build stylish and accessible showers in the home or anywhere ADA accessibility is required, and that comes by using materials to create barrier free showers.

The Drain Is The Thing . . .

When you are designing handicap showers, it is important to keep in mind how each shower component will be used by the person in a wheelchair. Something as simple as the floor drain in the shower can make a huge difference in creating a wheelchair accessible shower and one that is impossible for those with mobility issues to even use.

Many building contractors use linear drains when they are putting together functional handicap showers. The trench, or linear, drain helps to create a wheelchair accessible shower because of the operation of the drain. A trench is dug the length of the linear drain, and into this the drain is fitted, with a decorative cover that is placed on top of the drain. Because the trench lays below the level of the finished shower floor, the drain is perfectly flush with the floor, and thus it creates a roll in shower suitable for use with a wheelchair.

Round floor drains are used with edges to help the water move into the drain and stay out of other areas of the bathroom that you wish to remain dry. When a linear drain is placed in front of the shower door, it creates an ADA shower, because no edging is needed to direct the water into a linear drain. A slope to the drain in the ADA shower is required, and the single slope needed for the linear drain is also a more cost-effective option than the round slope needed for the traditional drain.

For a roll in shower to work with a wheelchair, the doors must also be big enough to create barrier free showers as well. Handicap showers can be made like stylish wet room showers, where wide glass doors reach to the floor, or there may be no doors at all with handicap showers equipped with properly placed linear drains.

You can learn more about creating beautiful accessible showers by looking at linear drain manufacturers' websites for ideas.