Handicapped Shower Stalls

Handicapped shower stalls are one of the necessities of a good handicap bathroom layout especially for people with disabilities, wheelchair users, the elderly, people with debilitating illnesses and conditions and anyone with mobility issues. So let's take a brief overview look at what a handicap shower enclosure entails and what makes it different from a regular shower cubicle.

Well the first comparison to be made between a regular shower cubicle and a handicap shower stall is the size. By necessity, a disabled shower stall is much larger than its regular alternative. This is because it needs to be able to accommodate a wheelchair and make it possible to wheel it in, turn it around and then wheel it out again once the user has finished.

The next big difference is that a regular shower will have a raised base and a lip or water container to keep the water inside the enclosure, whereas a handicap shower will have a base that is flush with the floor of the bathroom and either a collapsible water retainer or water stopper that is flexible or a gully covered with a fine mesh grille so that a wheelchair can enter and exit without experiencing a bump or having to negotiate a step up or down.

Another thing you'll notice where the two will differ is that a regular shower nearly always has a closable shower door or a curtain and a handicap shower has its front wide open. It can of course be fitted with a heavy duty shower curtain as one of the handicap shower accessories that are available, but wheelchair users tend not to like this addition as it can be a nuisance to get past.

The final difference we'¡ll lok at here is that a handicapped shower stall will be fitted out with grab rails and also a handicap shower chair so that the user can take a shower in the sitting position with grab rails to help them transfer from a wheelchair to the shower seat and back again. The grab bars also act as steadying handles and are there to assist with movement as well as to maximize safety.

So there you see the differences between the two types of shower enclosures and why things are the way they are with regards to handicapped shower stalls.

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