TRI DUC ENGLISH - Wheelchair Accessibility Issues TRI DUC ENGLISH Reading Practice: Wheelchair Accessibility Issues As many as 650 million people worldwide live with some form of physical disability, and about 100 million of the disabled need a wheelchair at least part of the time. Industrialized, higher-income nations in Asia, Europe, and North America are seeing an older population grow more incapacitated as they age, whereas in lower-income countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, poverty, conflict, injuries, and accidents account for most disabilities, many of them in children. Wheelchairs provide a more independent lifestyle, but they come with their own set of problems: They are wide, unwieldy, and difficult to maneuver in tight spaces, on slippery surfaces, and on steep slopes—not to mention impassable stair steps. Accessibility issues abound at home, work, and school; in recreation activities; and in transportation. One of the most difficult places to use a wheelchair is the home. The average doorway width of about 76 centimeters (30 inches) falls some 5 to 15 centimeters (2 to 6 inches) short of the space necessary to accommodate a wheelchair. To be accessible to a person in a wheelchair, bathrooms require grab bars in showers and tubs, built-in shower seats, lower sinks and mirrors, and higher toilet seats. Kitchens need lower counters and shelves as well as accessible switches for lights, garbage disposals, and exhaust fans. Also, because most homes have at least a few steps, a wheelchair ramp is a must. Many countries have laws requiring public buildings—workplaces, stores, restaurants, and entertainment and sports facilities—to be wheelchair accessible. To accommodate wheelchairs, building exteriors need wide sidewalks with curb cuts and ramps. Automatic doors, including those on elevators, must be broad and remain open long enough for a person in a wheelchair to come and go with ease. In a building interior, corridors must be wide enough for a person in a wheelchair and another person on foot to pass side by side, and carpeting should be firm enough for wheelchairs to roll over easily. Restrooms must be wheelchair accessible, too. Although many countr...