Accessibility for All: A Holistic View of Inclusive Doors & Hardware in the Home

By Alison Faecher

As populations age and the number of individuals living with disabilities increases, homes must evolve to meet their needs. Doors and hardware are often overlooked when thinking about aging in place or designing for a broad range of abilities; however, they play a critical role in ensuring safety, accessibility and independence.

The American Society of Interior Designers’ Adaptive Living Guide, “Reimagining Aging: A New Way Forward for Adaptive Living in the Home,” uses an evidence-based framework to emphasize how thoughtful design can significantly reduce safety risks and improve the quality of life and independence of individuals. The guide delineates key principles of design for healthy living, which include design for autonomy, design to elevate building systems and lead stakeholder collaboration.

Despite a growing awareness of evolving needs in the market, many environments still present barriers, which can include challenges such as heavy or difficult-to-operate doors. To mitigate such challenges, it’s important to employ the principle of design for autonomy, where designers can foster independence and reduce risks of injury.

Getting down to details
Standard door weights (especially those with closers) and knob designs can be challenging for individuals with limited strength or dexterity; designing with lever handles can meet these needs and offer greater independence for users. Additionally, hardware installed out of the recommended reach zone hinders users who may be supported by a wheelchair, scooter or walker. A lack of contrast can be another real challenge that hinders autonomy; sometimes, hardware is selected to blend into a door’s surface to achieve a minimalistic or “clean” look, but this can have a negative impact, making it hard to identify for those with visual impairments.

Narrow corridors and doorways existing in many older homes limit access and movement, impacting both clearance and maneuverability. Add to that, safety risks, such as sharp edges on pulls that can tear delicate skin on aging hands, and pinch points such as fast-closing mechanisms, can also cause injury. ASID’s Adaptive Living Guide, under the principle of design to elevate building systems, recommends reducing physical barriers to aging at home, thus supporting environmental health and comfort. Implementing this standard in design, helps to avoid such obstacles that limit motility. Lastly, many homes do not include automation or assistive/smart technology, and manual doors can present as a barrier to making a home inaccessible.

Such challenges can be avoided when we design to lead stakeholder collaboration. It’s important to acknowledge the challenges initiated by doors and hardware, and establish an early dialogue with the community, trade partners and clients on the fundamental design strategies that support aging-in-place.

A new way forward
Accessible and inclusive doors and hardware are part of a holistic adaptive design strategy that can be achieved by employing the ASID healthy living design principles developed by the Universal Design Committee and published as part of the 2025 ASID Adaptive Living Guide.

Hardware and doors should accommodate a wide range of abilities without the need for adaptation and include lever-style handles or push/pull mechanisms that are easy to operate with minimal hand strength or fine motor control. Additionally, pre-wiring can support adaptive technology such as automated or power-assisted doors, motion sensors, push plates or remote controls.

It is also important to consider vision challenges and to plan ahead for these challenges by designing with contrast in mind and avoiding hardware that blends into a door’s surface, which can be hard to identify for those with visual impairments. With this in mind, designers should specify high-contrast, tactile hardware that is easily identifiable by touch and sight. The inclusion of soft-close and anti-pinch features can help prevent injury and allow safe passage.

Designers should also plan for wide unobstructed doorways that are at least 36 inches wide to accommodate mobility devices and consider the use of sliding doors for areas such as closets and toilets, eliminating the clear floor space required for the door swing.

Achieving this vision requires a multi-pronged approach
Policies and regulations should be adjusted for residential building codes for clear floor approaches, passage widths and turning radius to follow ANSI ICC-A 117.1-2017, which accommodates persons of size and electric wheelchairs.

Inclusive and adaptive design should be a core component of design school curricula to prepare the next generation of designers. At the same time, professional organizations must offer targeted training in adaptive design for current design professionals, builders and other stakeholders to ensure today’s environments meet evolving accessibility needs.

It’s important to implement inclusive design processes when planning for new development or renovations to existing residences and design inclusively by involving individuals with a diverse range of abilities in the design process to ensure real-world usability.

If elopement is a concern or access within the home needs to be managed, consider use of privacy lockset hardware on any area for which you might want to restrict access.  Leverage smart home systems and Internet of Things devices, such as smart locksets for keyless entry, doorbells paired with cameras and motion sensors that can enhance accessibility and security.

Renovations can add up, so a practical approach to attainability is to prioritize retrofitting upgrades in high-traffic and essential areas like bathrooms, entrances and kitchens for the highest impact.

Designing doors and hardware for a broad range of needs is not just a matter of compliance; it’s a commitment to dignity, safety and independence for all. ASID’s Adaptive Living Guide considers such commitment, not only in terms of doors and hardware, but also through different modules that exemplify how a plethora of spaces should be designed with key adaptations. By addressing current challenges and striving toward an inclusive ideal state within homes, we can create environments that support everyone, regardless of age or ability.

Alison Faecher, ASID, NCIDQ, EDAC, LEED AP, is vice president of interior design at SmithGroup.