Visitability
A zero-step entrance
First floor wheelchair accessible bathroom
Doors with a 32 inch clear opening
What is visitability?
Visitability is a term used to refer to new home construction built with basic accessibility features that allow individuals with disabilities to visit or be visited in.
Homes are considered visitable when they include these 3 features:
- A no-step entrance.
- Doors with a 32 inch clear opening.
- A wheelchair accessible bathroom on the same floor as the no-step entrance.
What are the benefits of visitability?
Visitability increases the amount of accessible housing available for mobility impaired individuals and allows individuals to age in place.
This type of housing also supports mothers with strollers, the elderly, and your local movers or delivery drivers.
Going Beyond Basic Visitability
The first ordinance requiring visitability for the construction of all new single-family homes was passed in Bolingbrook, IL, in 2003. This visitability ordinance included some additional features:
- Reinforced bathroom walls to support the installation of grab bars.
- Wall switches and receptacles no less than 15 and no more than 48 inches above the finished floor.
- Accessible routes through the hallways and passageways, with hallways being no less than 42 inches wide and passageways no less than 36 inches wide.
API’s Impact
Our model ordinance will empower governments at the state and local levels to adopt visitability into their building code. As a result, we are removing barriers to accessible housing and ensuring that individuals with disabilities can live independently and age in place.