The Importance of Home Modifications for People with Disabilities

Accessibility is something most people don’t give a second thought. It may even be taken for granted. Home modifications for people with a disability are essential for many reasons.

As a person with a disability, living in a home without the modifications you need amplifies the limitations you already know you have. You may have to make concessions in your life that you wouldn’t otherwise have to make. It may also leave you feeling upset and frustrated about your surroundings. Home modifications are the most reliable way to ensure that you can maximize your independence while maintaining your quality of life.

Modifications to increase accessibility aren’t home renovations. Referring to home modifications as home renovation makes it sound like something that is being done to your home for the purpose of luxury. The modifications a homeowner with a disability needs to have completed are so they can have basic access to their home just like anyone else would need to live comfortably in that space.

Home modifications offer many benefits to a family member of a person with a disability. Home modifications offer many benefits to the members of a person’s family. Once a home modification is completed it increases peace of mind for family members. Because of the modifications put into place, loved ones can be at ease about your increased independence and accomplishing tasks that can help you maximize your ability to fully participate in the things you love to do.  Modifications made to your home offer you the chance to feel comfortable to move about in your space with a certain degree of ease. You will feel the difference within yourself and your family will see the positive changes these modifications offer to improve your life in a variety of areas.

Independence and Increased Self-Esteem. The independence a home modification can offer you can increase your self-esteem. When you have a modification completed for you, your independence increases. You no longer have to rely on others to help you complete certain tasks. Being able to do things on your own can increase your self-confidence in your abilities. Your limitations can begin to take a backseat to give you a chance to make a pathway to embark on the adventures that interest you the most.

Safety. The safety and peace of mind home modifications offer is extremely important. The most important part of accessibility of an environment includes making the environment safe. Simple changes that increase the functionality of a space for a person with a disability allows them to not worry about having an accident that could lead to serious injury or hospitalization. This increases the opportunity to enjoy activities that would otherwise be difficult and unsafe without those changes.

Greater access to the world around you.  When you have access to the world around you, you can experience the world from your point of view. It gives you the opportunity to have the freedom to choose from things you want to do or see with family, friends or even on your own. Things like traveling or visiting a museum where you can learn new things becomes a possibility. These experiences help you learn more about things like history or other cultures.  

Increase your problem-solving skills. People with disabilities must proactively problem solve to maximize their ability to live independently. If you have recently purchased a new home, navigating how you are going to get around in your new surroundings may be something that can cause some stress. Figuring out the options available to be as independent as possible and accomplish what needs to be done in your home can seem overwhelming. There are many resources available to help you determine what the best options are for you. All you need to do is conduct a little bit of research to see what is available that best suits your needs.

Increases your feeling of dignity. There is nothing more gratifying than feeling like a person that can maintain their dignity by taking care of themselves. Home modifications allow you to take care of your daily needs independently. There is no amount of money that can equal the satisfying nature of being able to take care of yourself without having to worry if anyone will be available when you would like to do things like take a shower or cook a meal.

Increases your ability to live in your community. People with disabilities who can live in their community have more opportunities to interact with others. This could be as simple as being around family members or close friends. It gives you the opportunity even pick a cause that is important to you and get involved in activities to further that cause. The social interaction that comes along with this helps increase your enjoyment of life and experience overall better health.

Home modifications may take a long time to be completed but pay high dividends. People with disabilities should be able to live in their community. Home modifications give them the chance to do just that. They help people with disabilities have a higher quality of life. Having home modifications in place allows you to have experiences with family, friends and others around you that may not otherwise be possible.

While home modifications can sometimes be a bit on the expensive side, it’s worth doing some research to find out what resources are available to make these options a reality for you. When the home modification is finally completed, it’s like a breath of fresh air. Like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Home modifications allow you to overcome the physical barriers that once existed to be able to start enjoying the life you deserve.

Home of the Future

When I think about home accessibility, things like ramps, grab bars, and walk-in showers come to mind. While I realize the list I’ve mentioned is in no way all-inclusive of the modifications available to make a person’s home more accessible, recently, I ran into an article that discusses how new technology has the potential to increase someone’s independence by introducing various forms of technology and really takes this idea to the next level.

This article will discuss the advancements of technology and how it increases the independence of  people with disabilities.

For those with a disability, accessibility in your own home is like a breath of fresh air. At least I like to think of it that way. Not only have I worked with people to make their homes accessible and have had home modifications completed for my own home but many years ago I was invited to speak to a group of realtors and discuss homebuying as a person with a disability. 

The speech focused on the importance of accessibility for someone with a disability in their quest for home ownership and how different modifications and accessibility features were a necessity so that the homeowner could fully enjoy all of the amenities their home has to offer.

Binyamin Mellish at Pexels

Accessibility allows individuals with disabilities to do things for themselves they may not otherwise be able to do.

Now let’s talk about what I’m calling the “home of the future”.  The reason I’m using that term is because when I read this article that spoke of different types of automation like video doorbells and smart thermostats, it made me think of movies like “I, Robot” starring Will Smith, or even “The Jetsons”, a Hanna Barbera cartoon from the l980’s. Equipment I never dreamed would be available in my lifetime will be more readily available in the not-so-distant future. Lights being controlled by smartphones and voice-activated television guides for the visually impaired were just some variations of technology that were mentioned. This is definitely a game-changer to help people with disabilities thrive in their own homes.

Right now, there’s a significant cost for such innovative technology. However, there are currently some organizations offering assistance for individuals with disabilities to get the equipment and upgrades they need to make these pieces of equipment available to them. As the years go by, hopefully these gadgets won’t be so difficult for someone to obtain on their own so that independence is not so far out of reach.

The assistive technology we use every day not only helps people with disabilities be more independent but adds to our quality of life and self-esteem. It helps us accomplish this by increasing the number of tasks that we can accomplish independently.

The advancements being made now will only help us reach our goals more and more as time goes by. In the long run, there’s no limit to what people with disabilities will be able to accomplish.

What gadget interests you the most?

Author’s note: The article that was originally included in this blog post was no longer a viable link. Updated information on home automation can be found here.