To
be accessible and available for those dependent on a wheelchair or who have a mobility disability, your gite or chambre d'hôte needs to respond to the following official requirements.
- Parking : Your house must have a spacious parking. Wheelchair users need more space around the car to step in and out.
- Access to your home : The path to your house must be paved and must not be too sloping; the wheelchair user should be able to come up and down the path unassisted. The path to your home must be wide enough to be able to turn with a wheelchair. The entrance door
must have a width of at least 85 centimeters. The house may have a threshold, but it may not exceed 2 inches. If
thresholds are higher, then a (mobile) slope must be availible. There must be enough space (inside and outside) to
open the door. The door handle and lock must not be too high and should be accessible from a wheelchair.
- Around
your house : Outside your house paths and
terraces should be well passable and the wheelchair user should be able to maneuver easily there. Gravel paths are not 'passable'.
- In your home : All facilities (toilet, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and living room) must be situated on the ground floor. Door openings must be at least 85 cm wide. The
corridor to the doorway must be at least 90 cm wide to give room for turning the wheelchair. Thresholds may not exceed 2 cm. There
should be enough space (inside and outside) to
open the doors. Lightswitches and electrical outlets must be accessible from a wheelchair.
- In the bathroom and toilet there must be enough room to maneuver in a wheelchair. This means that the entrance needs to be as far from the toilet as possible. The toilet room should measure at least 90cm to 120cm. There must be wall supports for the wheelchair user to lean on. The wheelchair user must be able to enter the bath or shower without much difficulty. A shower room without threshold with a shower chair under the nozzle is ideal. The shower should at least be 110 cm to 135 cm. There must be supports near the bath, the shower and the toilet seat. The 'wet' rooms must have a non-slip floor .