BEYOND A.D.A. STANDARDS

"The first time I was able to take a shower, I cried."

"A.D.A. Standards NEED to be MORE than a Checklist!"

What is A.D.A.?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a set of standards and priorities to ensure equal access and opportunity for people with disabilities.

What ADA means for WAT

ADA compliant showers must have:

A threshold height that is no more than ½” high above the finished bathroom floor.
An inside dimension of a minimum 60” x 30” for Roll in Showers
Grab bars in specific locations.
A shower seat (in most cases), fixed to the wall and spans the width of the shower
A pressure balanced mixing valve to prevent scalding
A height adjustable shower head with a minimum 59” long hose, so it can be used as a handheld or as a fixed shower head
Enough clearance space outside the shower to ensure easy approach in a wheelchair

Going

Beyond

Ada

WITH

P.I.A.D.S

Inclusive

Participatory

Design

with

P.I.A.D.S

WAT research started with participatory and inclusive design, to build showers as

Adaptive Devices and Technologies (ADs and ATs)

We work with a range of caregivers and people with disabilities at all stages of our research and design process.

We consider more than accessibility needs of our users, working with the P.I.A.D.S metric (Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale) to design with a positive impact people’s sense of:

confidence,

self-esteem,

functional independence,

quality of life,

…