Wheelchair Door Widths

When planning handicap bathroom dimensions, be sure to consider general guidelines for people with disabilities to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) restroom requirements. For example, ADA guidelines state that doors should be at least 32 inches, preferably 36 inches (915 mm) to accommodate a wheelchair in a bathroom. Door handles on handicap stalls in public restrooms should be no more than 48 inches (1220 mm) above the floor. If a public restroom cannot be designed to accommodate handicapped persons, install signage on or near the door to direct people to the closest available handicapped public restroom.

Wheelchairs In Bathrooms

When you build a handicap bathroom, you must allow for enough turning space. Without the turning space, a wheelchair will not be able to maneuver around the bathroom.

One of the principles of handicap bathroom design involves allowing enough space for a wheelchair to turn around. The minimum turning space for a wheelchair is about 60 inches in diameter (1525 mm) for the average wheelchair.

When determining handicap bathroom dimensions, be sure that any wall unit, such as a hand dryer, tampon dispenser, paper towel dispenser or any other handicapped equipment that extends more than 4 inches from the wall be located between or next to other protruding fixtures such as sinks, or placed in corners or alcoves. This design strategy keeps the units from intruding on a wheelchair’s turn space and reduces the risk that visually impaired people will bump into them.