In order for the bathroom to be easily accessible to people with disabilities, especially those who need to move around in a wheelchair, it must have a series of requirements that are detailed in the text of the legislation, among other things, recently updated on 30 June 2024.
The references containing the guidelines for designing a bathroom for disabled people are as follows:
- Law 13/89 whose focal point is represented by the provisions aimed at eliminating architectural barriers in private buildings;
- Circular of the Ministry of Public Works n. 1669 of 06/22/1989 explanatory of the above-mentioned Law of 9 January 1989, n. 13;
- Ministerial Decree No. 236/89 which contains the technical specifications to guarantee accessibility to private buildings and to public and subsidized residential buildings, always with a view to overcoming architectural barriers;
- DPR 503/96: regulation for the elimination of architectural barriers in public buildings, spaces and services.
The aim is to obtain a bathroom without architectural barriers, i.e. obstacles, which can prevent or in any case make it difficult for disabled users to use it, in order to allow them to take care of their own health on a daily basis. personal hygiene independently.
By accessing the following link we find all the detailed information regarding the new parameters with effect from 30 June 2024 for the recognition of disability, the percentages attributed with regards to compensation, how the relative application is presented as well as its evaluation by the competent institutions such as INPS and ASL.
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Minimum dimensions of a bathroom for disabled people
The measures chapter obviously plays a fundamental role. In fact, the spaces must be such as to facilitate user movements inside the bathroom.
Let’s start from the basics: how wide is a wheelchair? On average, it is 70-75 centimeters.
Well, we must consider that during the 360 degree rotation phase, the same wheelchair can generate an encumbrance, or rather require a radius of action, equal to 150 centimetres. Practically double its width. This explains why it is essential to respect the above parameters regarding distance between the sanitary fixtures.
For example, in a bathroom where the toilet and bidet are placed one in front of the other, the height cannot go below 80 centimetres.
The new text which came into force on 30 June establishes that the room used as a bathroom by disabled people must include a space not less than 200 x 200 centimetres.
Previously these measurements were set at 180 x 180 centimetres.
This, therefore, is the minimum measurement that must be calculated during the design phase of this environment.
This parameter has been increased precisely to ensure disabled users better maneuverability, also considering wheelchairs larger than the standard 75-80 cm, as well as to facilitate assistance in the case of an accompanying person.
Even the entrance door of the bathroom can constitute an architectural barrier for the disabled. For this reason, the current legislation provides that:
- the door must have a clear passage width measuring at least 85 centimetres;
- the opening must be outwards, if it is a swing door;
- in the case of a sliding door that disappears into the wall or a folding door, the minimum limit of 85 centimetres of effective width remains, which must be available to the disabled person in order to be able to cross the threshold while sitting in his wheelchair;
- the handle must be between 85 and 96 centimetres from the floor (recommended measurement = 90 cm).
If you opt for the sliding door, there are also models equipped with the mechanism self-closing: the door, once opened, closes by itself without the user having to do anything.
Another must-have regarding the disabled bathroom door is the way it closes.
The law requires the mandatory installation of a lock type to the latch: in this way the door can be closed from the inside simply by turning a special knob (the law strictly establishes that it must not have a key).
If necessary, the door can be easily opened from the outside with the help of a coin. In addition to the latch lock, the bathroom door can also be equipped with an additional handle, internal and external, which can further facilitate the maneuver of entering and exiting the room.
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The characteristics that toilets and bidets must have
The toilet should have a seat height of 45-50 centimetres from the ground, preferably a suspended model.
Another important parameter is the distance from the wall: the toilet intended for disabled people must protrude from the wall 75-80 centimeters and must provide a maneuvering space for the wheelchair of at least 100 cm from the seat axis. In any case, the lateral distance from the wall cannot be less than 40 centimeters.
It is also essential to install a special horizontal grab bar parallel to the toilet as it acts as a support and fulcrum for the user while sitting down and then getting up from the toilet, therefore, its presence in the bathroom is essential.
All these precautions must be implemented, in addition to complying with the legislation in force, first and foremost with a view to facilitating the disabled person in accessing and using the sanitary facility.
Similar rules apply when choosing and installing a bidet:
- must be placed at a minimum distance of 40 centimetres from the side wall;
- the front edge of the sanitary fixture must be no less than 75-80 centimetres from the rear wall;
- the upper plane, i.e. the support point for the user, must be 45-50 centimetres from the floor.
The legislation aims to eliminate, or at least reduce as much as possible, the discomfort for disabled people while they access and use this environment, whether it is a private home or a public place. The aim is to make the difficulty of moving, getting up and sitting down as little impactful as possible.
For this purpose, an extremely useful option is represented by the installation of the toilet-bidet.
As the name itself suggests, it is a two-in-one sanitary fixture that manages to avoid the user having to move from the toilet to the bidet. In fact, it is a toilet equipped with a special dispenser nozzle to perform the bidet function when necessary.
There are several models on the market, therefore, even in the case of the bidet toilet, you can easily opt for the wall-hung one.
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What the sink should be like in a disabled bathroom
Even the sink can constitute an architectural barrier that causes difficulties for the disabled person, therefore, in order for it to be easily usable it must have the following characteristics:
- allow the user to approach the sink by positioning himself underneath it with the wheelchair, which means that the space underneath must be free, not occupied by drawers, columns or other elements that are normally there and that are complementary to the sink console;
- be placed at aheight between 80 and 90 centimetres from the ground;
- it is not mandatory but advisable that the siphon is built into the wall;
- the sink must be equipped with the specific taps: these are taps and mixers designed to allow even those with motor difficulties to operate them without difficulty. The most popular model is the clinical lever tap: it is characterized by the presence of a very long handle that avoids the user having to reach the mixer with his hands and allows him to perfectly regulate the flow and the desired temperature of the water for washing his hands. In fact, the clinical lever can also be operated with the back of the hand or with the elbow;
- the construction materials, not only of the sink but in general of all sanitary fixtures intended for the disabled, must be soft and without sharp edges so as to prevent the user from being injured by accidental impacts.
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Shower and bathtub according to the regulations updated on 30 June 2024
For a disabled person, the shower can be the biggest architectural barrier, especially if we think of a small, corner shower box, which perhaps measures only 80 x 80 centimetres.
Simply impossible to use for a person in a wheelchair.
In the case of the shower, the difficulty for the disabled person is twofold: being able to access the sanitary fixture and being able to use it in an appropriate manner. easy and safe.
As required by law, the shower for disabled people must be designed observing the following characteristics:
- have an external opening to 180 degrees;
- the entry point must measure at least 70 to 85 centimetres;
- the height of the seat placed inside the shower box must be at least 50 centimetres and must be flexible and equipped with a removable shower head, all to allow the disabled person to wash while remaining comfortably seated, without having to make further movements.
At the user’s discretion, there are also models on the market equipped with mechanical systems to support him both when entering and exiting the shower.
As an alternative to the shower, the best solution in the presence of a disabled person, provided for by the law but in any case suggested by common sense, is to install a bathtub with door.
This solution allows the disabled person, or those with motor difficulties in general, to easily access the tub, completely avoiding having to lift their legs from the ground to step over the edge of the tub and then bend their lower limbs to sit inside it.
The other very important peculiarity of this sanitary fixture, in fact, is the presence of a variable height internal seat: this avoids having to bend your legs to sit on the bottom of the tub.
The seating point can reach a height of more than 50 centimetres.
As for the width of the bathtub, depending on the user’s needs, it can reach up to 150 centimetres.
We also have variable dimensions for the access door which, however, cannot have a width less than 70 centimetres according to current legislation.
