ACCESSIBLE BARRIER-FREE SHOWER BUYING GUIDE
Whether you need a wheelchair-accessible shower in your own home or you need to make sure the bathing facilities in your place of business are up to ADA standards, creating an accessible shower requires careful consideration.
When it comes to accessible shower design, you have a few different choices. Here’s all you need to know to find the right shower for your needs.
ADA ACCESSIBLE SHOWER STANDARDS
What makes a shower accessible? Taking a look at the ADA standards is a good place to start.
The ADA has standards for three different types of accessible showers:
- Standard roll-in shower (with or without folding seat)
- Alternate roll-in shower (with or without folding seat)
- Transfer shower
The differences between them are sometimes subtle, so make sure to take your time to really understand them. Compliance is necessary for businesses to avoid ADA violations.
If you’re designing an in-home accessible shower, following ADA guidelines will ensure an easy and comfortable shower experience for household members and guests with disabilities.
STANDARD ROLL-IN SHOWER DESIGN
A roll-in shower allows someone in a wheeled shower chair or similar device to enter a shower without needing to transfer to a shower seat.
These showers don’t have to include a folding seat. If they do, the seat must meet specific guidelines set by the ADA.
Size and Clearance
Before selecting and installing all necessary shower components, you’ll need to make sure your shower stall meets size and clearance guidelines. These guidelines help make sure users have enough space to both enter the shower and maneuver within the shower without difficulty.
The shower stall itself must be at least 60 inches wide and 30 inches deep. On one side, the 60-inch opening must be obstruction-free to allow someone in a wheelchair to easily enter.
There also must be a certain amount of clearance immediately in front of the shower. This space must also be 60 inches wide and 30 inches deep. It needs to line up with the shower opening.
If you don’t have an existing bathroom or locker room and are just blocking off space to build an accessible shower, you will need a space that is at least 60 inches wide and 60 inches deep to accommodate both the shower stall and the clearance in front of it.
Grab Bars
Grab bars for shower stalls are essential to prevent slipping and to make it easier for users to move to a shower seat (if you have one).
In order to be ADA-compliant, grab bars must meet these requirements:
- Must be installed on three walls
- Must be near the entryway
- Can be a maximum of six inches from adjacent walls
- Must be 33 to 36 inches above the finished floor
- Must all be the same height from the floor
Many showers use three separate grab bars. However, if you wish, you can choose continuous grab bars that extend along the three shower walls.
Controls and Enclosures
The guidelines for installing controls, spray units, and faucets are common sense: they ensure that a person in a wheelchair or on a shower seat can easily reach everything.
Shower fittings and controls can be mounted on any shower wall. Each item must be at least 1.5 inches above the grab bars to ensure the grab bars are still usable. However, the controls and fittings must still be easily reachable. Make sure that the shower enclosure itself doesn’t get in the way of any shower equipment.
Thresholds
In a roll-in shower, a wheelchair must be able to easily roll through the threshold. You have two options: a barrier-free shower pan that uses a shower drain on the outer edge, or a slightly raised threshold.
If your shower uses a drain instead of a raised threshold, the floor can slope to the drain (provided it doesn’t exceed the ADA maximum of a 1:48 slope). A raised threshold can be up to half an inch as long as it’s properly beveled. Thresholds up to 0.25 inches do not need to be beveled. Those up to 0.5 inches high must be beveled with a maximum 1:2 ratio.
Folding Seat
An ADA-compliant wheelchair-accessible shower isn’t required to have a folding seat. However, most wheelchairs can’t be used in showers, and traveling with a mobility aid isn’t always feasible.
For that reason, many businesses choose to equip their standard roll-in showers with folding seats. If you choose to do this, you will need to follow a few additional guidelines:
- The seat must be folding
- It must be attached to a wall (in a standard shower compartment, it must attach to a side wall)
- It must extend to within three inches of the entryway
- Faucets, controls, and other fittings must be installed on the back wall and be reachable from the seat
- Grab bars must be on the back wall (extending to the seat’s front edge) and on the side wall opposite the seat
- Grab bars cannot overlap the seat
Although it’s not a legal guideline, the U.S. Access Board recommends including folding seats in all roll-in showers.
ALTERNATE ROLL-IN SHOWER DESIGN
If you’re renovating a current space, it may not always be feasible to install a standard roll-in shower. For that reason, the ADA has approved another wheelchair-accessible shower design.
This alternate design allows for a partially-enclosed opening. It has the advantage of offering a little more privacy for shower users. Just like the standard design, it can be installed with or without a shower seat.
Size and Clearance
The standard roll-in design makes it easy for wheelchair users to maneuver into the shower in any way they choose. With the alternate design, a right-angle turn is necessary to get into the shower.
The shower stall must be at least 60 inches wide and 36 inches deep. However, the entranceway may be partially enclosed as long as there is an opening at least 36 inches wide.
Grab Bars
The grab bar requirements for alternate designs are similar to those for standard designs:
- Grab bars must be installed on the back wall and on the side wall furthest from the entryway
- If they are not continuous, they can be a maximum of six inches from adjacent walls
- They must be 33 to 36 inches above the finished floor
- All bars must be the same height above the floor
Essentially, the regulations are the same except for the fact that grab bars are required on two walls and not three.
Controls and Enclosures
If this shower design has no seat, the controls, detachable showerhead, and other fittings must be located on the side wall furthest from the entryway.
Just like with the standard design, controls also must be at least 1.5 inches above the grab bars (but still easily reachable). The enclosure cannot obstruct any controls, fittings, or seat transfers.
Thresholds
The threshold requirements here are identical to those for standard showers. If the threshold is raised up to 0.25 inches, no beveling is needed. If it is higher than that, it must be beveled to meet ADA standards.
Folding Seat
With this design, you have the option to include a folding seat, provided it meets these specifications:
- Must be installed on the front wall (the wall partially enclosing the entryway)
- Must extend to within three inches of the entryway
- Must be placed so shower fixtures are easily reachable
When you include an accessible shower seat, you can include the showerhead and other fixtures on the side wall next to the seat or on the back wall immediately across from it.
TRANSFER SHOWER DESIGN
A transfer shower is a type of barrier-free shower designed to easily allow a wheelchair user to transfer to a shower seat. While transfer showers have somewhat strict measurement requirements, they are easier for some businesses to install due to their smaller size.
Size and Clearance
This type of shower has exact measurements rather than minimum measurements. That’s to ensure wheelchair users can use walls for support when transferring to the shower seat. Both the width and depth of this shower must be exactly 36 inches. The entryway must be at least 36 inches.
However, the clearance requirements for the space in front of the shower are a bit different. The wall to the left as the wheelchair user approaches the seat must be extended at least 12 inches out from the building wall. The rest of the clearance space must be at least 48 inches wide and 36 inches deep.
Grab Bars
Grab bars for shower stalls in this configuration must be installed immediately across from the seat and along the back wall. Separate bars must reach as close as possible to the adjacent wall, and all must be the same height above the floor.
Controls and Enclosures
Most of the previously mentioned regulations for showerheads and other fixtures apply here. However, there is one important exception: fixtures must be reachable from the outside of the shower stall.
Thresholds
Since this shower is designed to allow someone to transfer to the seat and not roll in, the threshold requirements are somewhat less strict. Thresholds can be a maximum of 0.5 inches high. They can remain vertical or be beveled or rounded.
Folding Seat
As you may have seen if you’ve been shopping for a barrier-free shower kit, the seat for this type of shower can be folding or non-folding. Since most people will not be maneuvering a wheelchair into this shower, it typically won’t be necessary to fold the seat out of the way.
HANDHELD SHOWER POSITION
For an ADA-compliant wheelchair-accessible shower, there are a few more guidelines for both the handheld shower head and its position:
- It must be a handheld showerhead that can also be used in a fixed position (mounted to a wall)
- The wall mount must be within 48 inches of the shower floor
- The connected hose must be at least 59 inches long
- You may include vertical bars for using the shower in a fixed position, but those bars may not obstruct the grab bars
- Vertical bars must be at least 1.5 inches above the grab bars
- The showerhead must have an on/off control with a non-positive shut-off
A non-positive shut-off in a showerhead is a lot simpler than it sounds. It just means that it allows extra water to drain out through the showerhead when it’s in the “off” position. This prevents the backflow of water into the system.
This might sound like an exacting list of specifications, but fortunately, many commercially available detachable showerheads meet them.
GRAB BARS
The ADA also has several requirements for the types of grab bars installed and how they are positioned:
- Grab bars must be able to withstand a force of at least 250 pounds
- They must have rounded edges
- There must be a clearance of 1.5 inches between the grab bar and the wall
- Grab bars may not rotate
- Shower fittings and controls must be at least 1.5 inches above the grab bars
- Any other projecting objects (like soap dispensers) must be at least 12 inches above the grab bars
The rules for grab bars primarily make sure shower users do not become trapped and can easily reach all shower fixtures.
SHOWER SEATS
If you’re in the market for an accessible shower seat, you’ll want to make sure it meets ADA requirements:
- Both rectangular and L-shaped seats are permitted
- The outer edge of each seat type must extend within three inches of the shower opening
- When folded down, the outer edge must extend 15 to 16 inches from the shower wall
- The end of the “L” in the L-shaped seat must be 14 to 15 inches long
- The gap between the long edge of the seat and the wall can be a maximum of 2.5 inches
- The gap between the short edge and the wall can be a maximum of 1.5 inches
- The seat must be able to withstand a force of at least 250 pounds
The ADA doesn’t have a stipulation for how long the seat needs to be, but many people choose one that extends approximately the length of the shower wall.
Notably, folding shower seats can be made with legs or without. If you’re looking for a seat that can withstand greater force, a seat with legs might be a good option.
ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR SHOWER MORE ACCESSIBLE
Following ADA guidelines is a great start, but there’s more to accessible shower design. Here are a few ideas to ensure showering is safe and comfortable:
INSTALL A WATERPROOF PANEL
A waterproof panel isn’t required by the ADA, but it can be a more effective way of keeping water out of your bathroom walls and preventing any mold buildup in the shower itself.
Waterproof wall panels come in a variety of designs, and some even mimic the traditional grout-and-tile look. Some walls come already fused together so you get what’s essentially a prefabricated shower stall.
You can also purchase waterproof shower walls with pre-installed features like shelves, recessed niches, and folding seats. That way, you avoid having to measure and install features to make sure they’re ADA-compliant.
IMPROVE LIGHTING
A barrier-free shower pan makes it easier to get into a shower. But especially with a transfer shower, it can be easy to slip on an angled shower pan. When your shower has great lighting, it becomes easier for users to see and avoid slipping hazards like this one.
ENSURE ACCESSORY NICHES ARE EASILY REACHABLE
If you use a shower caddy, it’s usually easy to adjust on the wall. Not so with a built-in shower niche! If you’re designing a barrier-free shower, don’t forget to include a shower niche that can be easily reached by someone in a wheelchair.
If a few people will be using the shower, you might consider adding multiple niches. That way, people who shower both sitting and standing will be able to comfortably reach their soaps, shampoos, and other accessories.
LET US HELP YOU GUILD AN ACCESSIBLE SHOWER THAT MEETS YOUR NEEDS
At Vintage Tub & Bath, we’ve been helping people design their perfect bathrooms for more than 25 years. If you’re looking to build a shower that’s accessible to all, we’re committed to making the process as easy as possible. Our barrier-free shower kits offer you ready-made, ADA-compliant solutions.
Login and Registration Form