The NKBA Guidelines and Access Standards that relate to the bathing and shower center are: 3, 4, 9, 10, 1 1, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, and 36.
Responsive Design Summary: The Bathing and Shower Center
• Sensory
• Universal design recommendations
• Specify control valves with anti-scald capacity with a high limit stop of 120 degrees F (49 C) (Guideline 11)
• Choose controls that incorporate indicator lights as an additional way to determine on/off or hot/cold
• Consider a visible arrow or line on the faucet that points to red or blue to help determine what direction to turn the control
• Use tactile cueing to identify hot or cold water.
• Consider programmable controls to simplify operation
• Select a shampoo and soap dispenser that can be installed in the bathtub/shower to help eliminate items falling or being rearranged in an unfamiliar order
• Use visual and tactile contrast in the flooring between wet and dry areas
• Consider supplemental heat or dryers (Guideline 27)
• Choose quiet ventilation to minimize background noise distortion for those with partial hearing (Access Standard 26)
• Access recommendations
• None
• Cognitive
• Universal recommendations
• Specify control valves with anti-scald capacity with a high limit stop of 120 degrees (49 C) (Guideline 11)
• Consider electronic sensor controls on faucets, and ventilation to help ensure that things are shut-off when the user is finished
• Use intuitive cueing, such as using a blue color for cold and a red color for hot
• Consider a visible arrow on the faucet that points to red or blue to help determine what direction to turn the control
• Specifying programmable controls simplifies consistent operation and temperature of the water fill
• Plan the entire bathroom as a wet area with a supplemental or second drain in the room to make water containment and maintenance easier
• Specify slip-resistant surfaces in general bath flooring, shower floors, and tub/shower bottoms (Guideline 18)
• Access recommendations
• None
• Physical
• Universal recommendations
• Use the wet-room concept to improve generous clear floor space for maneuvering.
• Specify slip-resistant surfaces in general bath flooring, shower floors, and tub/shower bottoms (Guideline 18).
• Incorporate flexible equipment and assistive devices that can change as a child grows, or needs otherwise change.
• Plan a seat in the shower and/or bathtub (Guideline and Access Standard 12).
• Consider a bathtub design that allows the parent or caregiver to comfortably sit while bathing a child or other bather, and also allows the bather to sit to enter/exit the tub.
• Walls should be reinforced at time of construction to allow for installation of grab bars (Guideline 14).
• Plan grab bars to support safe entry/exit, to assist those with balance issues, and to support caregivers in bathing children or others.
• Specify grab bars to be placed according to the needs and height of the user, with a general guide being 33 to 36 inches (838 mm to 914 mm) above the floor (Access Standard 14).
• Shampoo and soap dispensers, installed in the bathtub/shower within reach of the user, reduce strength and dexterity needed to squeeze shampoo out of the bottle.
• Access recommendations
• Include additional clear floor space of 12 to 18 inches (305 to 457 mm) on the control side of shower/bath fixture to improve seated access to the controls
• Plan clear floor space in front of a roll-in shower of 60 inches by a minimum 30 inches (1524 mm by 762 mm (Access Standard 4)
• Plan a roll-in shower a minimum 60 inches by 36 to 42 inches (1524 mm by 914 mm to 1067 mm) to better contain water (Access Standard 9).
• When possible, plan a roll-in shower 60 inches by 48 to 60 inches deep (1524 mm by 1219 mm by 1524 mm),to allow for easier maneuvering by a person using a mobility aid (Access Standard 9).
• Plan a minimum clear floor space in front of a transfer shower of 48 inches wide, extending beyond the seat wall, by 36 inches deep (1219 mm by 914 mm) (Access Standards 4)
• Increase the clear floor space at a transfer shower to a minimum 60 inches wide, with the clear space extending beyond both the control wall and the seat wall, by a minimum 36 inches deep (1 524 mm by 914 mm) to improve access to both controls and the transfer seat
• The dimensions of a transfer shower should be 36 inches wide by 36 inches deep (914 mm by 914 mm) and should include a seat, preferably a fold-up style, to place support and control within the reach of most any user (Access Standard 9)
• Specify controls to be offset toward the room and easy to grasp, as with lever or loop handles (Access Standard 10)
• Plan the handheld spray at a height accessible to the user (Access Standard 10)
• Specify tub/shower controls that are operable with one hand and do not require tight grasping (Access Standard10)
• Minimize thresholds at the shower entry to no more than 1/2 inch (13 mm) (Access Standard 16)
