For those who don’t have these problems it’s also something that is easy to forget or perhaps just something that you don’t think about.

However old age, accidents, and other situations can cause problems when you least expect it and anyone who has become disabled may be very well familiar with whether their insurance covers certain necessary aids to help them cope with their disability.

It is always good to check your health insurance policy in order to make sure that you are covered for equipment and treatments that related to vision loss and loss of mobility.

For example when choosing health insurance keep in mind that all personal health insurance policies have statements written into their policies about whether they will or won’t cover wheelchairs.

Does your health insurance plan cover you for a wheel chair?

Perhaps you have recently become disabled and haven’t thought or had the time to check.

Always examine the terms and conditions of your policy.

As laws change so do insurance policies and staying on top of the terms of your policy can make the difference between having the accessibility you need and doing without.

A few tips to make the exterior of your home a bit more accessible are as follows:

Put a shelf or bench next to each exterior door.
This can be very helpful when moving things in or out of the house as it will provide a place to rest items while allowing for free hands to open the door.

If you have problems with vision make sure to add sufficient lighting to all areas of the home especially stairways, ramps, and outdoor pathways.

Make sure to create grippy surfaces to prevent slipping.

For landing areas (like a deck or porch) allow for a 5 foot radius as this will provide a comfortable amount of room for most wheelchair users to navigate their way in and out of doors.

To allow for easy access in and out of vehicles driveways and parking areas should be designed wider than normal to accomodate both a vehicle and wheelchair access.

Provide well designed ramps with an easy slope (1:12 max or 1:18 for easier maneuverability) at entrances to the home and other strategic locations
(ie: from sidewalks to driveway, or in any other area where there might normally be steps).

While there are many more things to do to the exterior of a home and many more considerations the above tipscan get you on your way to making life easier for those needing wheelchair access.

It includes taking the wheelchair out of the car from a sitting position in the driver’s seat with no assistance all the way to closing the door.

With the proper wheelchair this is a very simple technique that allows for maximum independence.

Watch this video for excellent technique to move from the floor back to your wheelchair with minimal trouble.

He gives a few suggestions.

The woman that made this video is a wheelchair user with limited use of her hands and she shares more of her simple solutions to deal with being disabled.