Tactile Walkway / Pavers
Tactile pavers, are a crucial accessibility feature used on walkways to assist individuals with visual impairments to safely navigating their surroundings and locate the entrance of the home. They serve as a tactile guide, allowing individuals with visual impairments to follow the path, and locate the entrance with increased independence and confidence.
Property Landmark
Property landmarks are identifiable features on a property that are used to provide orientation and guidance for individuals. These landmarks serve as reference points that can help those with mobility, visual, or cognitive disabilities navigate their surroundings and locate their home.
High-Contrast Door/Trim
Painting exterior doors a contrast colour can be an effective way to improve accessibility for individuals with visual impairments. By choosing a door colour that contrasts with the surrounding walls or environment, the doorway becomes more visually distinct and easier to locate for individuals with limited vision.
All Walkways under 5% slope
The walkways leading up to the doorway of our accessible homes are thoughtfully designed with a gentle slope of less than 5%. This careful consideration ensures that the walkways are easy to navigate for individuals with mobility impairments, including those using wheelchairs, walkers, or other mobility aids.
Exterior Elevator Access
We provide elevator access on the exterior of the building to ensure that residents with mobility issues can safely enter and exit their units. The exterior elevator is conveniently located and easily accessible, eliminating the need for residents to navigate stairs or uneven surfaces.
6" Stair Height
All of our outdoor steps have a maximum riser height of 6 inches. This design feature makes it easier for individuals with mobility issues to access the home safely and comfortably.
By limiting the riser height to 6 inches or less, we ensure that residents with mobility impairments, such as difficulty lifting their feet or navigating stairs, can easily ascend or descend the steps with reduced risk of trips or falls.
Levered Door Handles
Penguin Living uses levered door handles on our exterior doors instead of knobs. Unlike knobs that require twisting or gripping motion. Levered door handles can be operated with a simple downward or upward push, making them easier to grasp and use. This design feature allows individuals with dexterity issues, such as arthritis or other hand impairments, to operate the doors more comfortably.
Keyless Entry
Keyless entry eliminates the need for physical keys, which can be difficult to grip or manipulate for those with limited hand strength or dexterity impairments. With keyless entry, residents can easily enter and exit their homes by simply inputting a code or using a key fob.
Exterior Handrails
By including exterior handrails at all steps and doorways, We provide a reliable and secure means of support for individuals with mobility impairments, ensuring that they can safely navigate steps and doorways with stability and confidence. The exterior handrails are thoughtfully placed and designed to be easy to grip, allowing individuals to maintain their balance and stability while entering or exiting the home.
High Contrast Elevations
We use contrasting colour finishes at different levels of the kitchen area, such as countertops, cabinets, or other areas where the elevation of the surface might change, to enhance safety and accessibility. These contrasting colour finishes provide visual cues that help individuals with visual impairments or depth perception issues to better navigate and identify changes in surface elevation.
Accessible Appliances and Cabinets
Our kitchen design includes wheelchair accessible appliances and cabinetry, ensuring that individuals who use wheelchairs can easily and independently use the kitchen space.
The appliances are strategically positioned at a height that allows individuals to comfortably reach and use them from a seated position in a wheelchair. The cabinetry is designed with lower heights and pull-down shelves, making it easily accessible without the need for excessive reaching or stretching.
Wheel-under Countertops
Utilizing a wheel-under design, these countertops are designed to provide ample space for individuals who use wheelchairs to comfortably roll their wheelchair beneath the countertops. Allowing them to easily reach and use the countertops for meal preparation or cooking.
Accessible Bathroom Facilites
we prioritize accessibility by designing our bathrooms with wheelchair accessible features. This includes a wheelchair accessible shower, toilet, and sink, ensuring that individuals who use wheelchairs can comfortably and independently utilize their bathrooms.
Turning Radius
We design all our bathrooms to be spacious enough to accommodate a full turning radius of a person using a wheelchair. This means that there is ample space in the bathroom for individuals to comfortably maneuver and turn around in their wheelchair without any obstructions.
Tilted Mirror
We incorporate a Tilted Mirror in all of our bathrooms. This design feature ensures that the mirror is positioned at a slight angle, making it easier for individuals seated in a wheelchair to see themselves in the mirror without straining or tilting their head.
Matte Tile Finish
We use matte-finished tiles in our bathrooms to eliminate glare, making it easier for individuals with visual impairments to navigate and use the bathroom without discomfort.
Lowered Window Sills
We design our interior windows with wheelchair accessible sill height to ensure that individuals using wheelchairs can have clear visibility to the outside.
Bedside Lighting Controls
By installing bedside lighting controls in our bedrooms, we provide convenience and accessibility for individuals with mobility issues. This feature allows individuals to easily control the bedroom lighting from the comfort of their bed, eliminating the need to get up and manually turn off the lights.
Pull-down Closet Bars
We install pull-down clothing bars in our closets to enhance accessibility for individuals with mobility issues. These pull-down bars are positioned at a height that is easy to reach, eliminating the need to stretch or strain. With a simple pull-down mechanism, individuals can lower the clothing bar to a comfortable height, making it convenient for them to access and organize their clothing independently.
Deicing system
All of our homes are equipped with a deicing system installed on walkways and steps leading up to the home. The deicing system helps to minimize slip and fall hazards, ensuring that the walkways and steps are free from ice and snow, and promoting safe and easy access to the home for everyone, including those with mobility challenges.