My Accessible Home, Independent Me | #ForAccessibleHomes News

‘An Englishman’s home is his castle’ is the often-quoted phrase.  Our homes are our refuges, our safe places, where we relax and spend quality time with the people we love.  For disabled people you could say that’s even more important; we live in an inaccessible world, and even the places that are accessible won’t suit everyone’s requirements.  Ultimately our homes are ours – our own little piece of the world that we can adapt to be exactly what we need.

My first accessible home was a ground floor flat which my family adapted.  It had a ramped entrance, lowered kitchen surfaces, a level access shower and a specially designed space for storing my wheelchair.  I loved it, and spent 7 years there, but found after that time that I’d outgrown the space.  I longed for a garden and more storage, so it was time to move on.

I heard about a new build development in its’ early stages and, after conversations with the developer to confirm that they could meet my needs, put a deposit down on an off-plan property.  This meant that the design of my house could incorporate accessible features as it was being built, without incurring any extra costs.  This was so important to me. It meant I was able to sit down with the building team and modify the plans to suit my needs. We widened doorways, changed room sizes, and completely altered the layouts of the kitchen and bathroom.

Though working in this way did save on cost, it also meant that I had no idea what my house would look like until my final snagging meeting, around two weeks before I got the keys.  Thankfully, it was well worth the anxious wait. 

Now I have a much bigger kitchen with a dining table which I use for food preparation, and a lowered kitchen sink and hob.  This means I can cook independently – something which I love to do, and I’ll often spend a rainy Sunday in the kitchen. 

The house does have stairs – which I can manage a couple of times a day, as I have an accessible toilet downstairs as well as upstairs.  The upstairs bathroom also has a level access shower, with a seat and grab bars.  Custom-built ramps take me into my long-awaited garden, which my husband has landscaped with paving slabs and a long, central slope so I can access all of it.

As well as living and relaxing space, my home also enables me to do my job as a travel writer and marketing manager.  The small box room was recently converted into an office for me, and it works perfectly.  Instead of heading out of the door in all weathers and battling pavement obstacles to get to work, I can do it all in my own space.  This leaves me with so much more energy to focus on my job. During days when I’m struggling with fatigue and pain I can always be comfortable.

Years of blogging and travel writing mean that I’ve been lucky enough to stay in some pretty spectacular accessible holiday accommodation, with features that I’d love to have in my own home if money were no object! Some of these amazing accessible features are mirrors with tilt functions that can be seen from all heights, rise and fall kitchen worktops; buttons to control all technology from a central location and even accessible hot tubs!

The thing I love most about my accessible home is that it is constantly adapting and evolving to meet my changing needs.  It’s my place to relax, to cook, to work and to enjoy – it gives me the freedom to live the life that I want.

 

Thanks to Carrie-Ann Lightley for supporting #ForAccessibleHomes. Every story is different. If Carrie-Ann has inspired you, visit www.carrieannlightley.com read more about her work.