Accessibility Glossary
Quotes and product pages are full of terms that sound interchangeable but change the price by thousands. These are the ones worth knowing before you talk to a salesperson.
Glossary
Beds & bedroom
- Adjustable base
- A powered bed frame that raises the head and usually the foot of the mattress. It changes sleeping position but does not lower the whole bed toward the floor.Best adjustable beds for older adults
- Hi-low bed
- A bed that raises and lowers the entire sleeping surface, not just the head and foot. The low setting makes standing up easier; the high setting makes caregiving easier.Adjustable bed vs hi-low bed
- Transfer aid
- Any device that helps someone move between surfaces — bed to chair, chair to toilet. Includes bed rails, transfer poles, slide boards, transfer belts, and powered lifts.
- Lift chair
- A recliner with a motor that tilts the whole seat forward to help someone stand. Sold in two-position, three-position, and infinite-position versions.Best lift chairs
- Mattress retainer bar
- A bracket at the foot of an adjustable base that stops the mattress sliding down as the head section raises.
Also called Height-adjustable bed
Glossary
Bathrooms
- Walk-in tub
- A deep bathtub with a watertight door in the side, so you step over a low threshold instead of climbing over a tub wall. You sit while it fills and drains.Walk-in tub cost
- Curbless shower
- A shower with no lip at the entry, so a wheelchair, walker, or shower chair can roll straight in. Requires floor drainage designed for the change.
- Blocking
- Wood or steel added inside a wall so grab bars and seats can be anchored to structure instead of drywall anchors.Where should bathroom grab bars be installed?
- Comfort-height toilet
- A toilet with a taller bowl — usually 17 to 19 inches to the seat — which shortens the distance you have to lower yourself and stand back up.
Also called Zero-threshold or roll-in shower
Glossary
Ramps & entries
- Rise
- The vertical distance from the ground to the top of the threshold. Rise, not the number of steps, determines how long a ramp must be.Wheelchair ramp length calculator
- ADA slope (1:12)
- The maximum ramp steepness allowed for public ramps under the Americans with Disabilities Act: 1 inch of rise for every 12 inches of ramp length. Homes are not automatically bound by the ADA, but it is a widely used benchmark. Local building requirements still apply.
- Threshold ramp
- A small wedge that bridges a doorway lip or sliding-door track, usually an inch or two of rise. Different from a full approach ramp.Portable vs permanent wheelchair ramps
- Landing
- A flat rest platform in a ramp run or at a door. Landings let someone stop safely and give room to open a door without rolling backward.
- Door widening
- Enlarging a doorway so a walker or wheelchair fits. Sometimes achieved cheaply with swing-clear hinges instead of framing work.Door widening cost
Glossary
Lifts & elevators
- Straight stair lift
- A stair lift on a single straight rail cut to length. The cheapest configuration because the rail is not custom-bent.Straight vs curved stair lift
- Curved stair lift
- A stair lift with a rail custom-fabricated to follow turns, landings, or spiral stairs. Costs substantially more and takes longer to build.
- Platform lift
- A lift with an open platform large enough for an occupied wheelchair, usually travelling a short vertical distance such as a porch or split-level.
- Through-floor elevator
- A home elevator that passes through an opening cut in the floor above rather than needing a full masonry shaft. Often the least invasive way to add an elevator to an existing house.Can you add an elevator to an existing house?
- Shaftless elevator
- A compact, usually two-stop home elevator with a self-contained enclosure, so no separate hoistway has to be framed.How much does a home elevator cost?
- Hoistway
- The enclosed vertical shaft an elevator travels in, including the pit at the bottom and the overhead clearance at the top.
Also called Vertical platform lift, porch lift, VPL
Glossary
Home & planning
- Universal design
- Designing a home so it works for people of different ages and abilities from the start, without looking clinical or needing later retrofits.
- Aging in place
- Staying in your own home as needs change, rather than moving to assisted living or a care facility.Complete aging-in-place guide
- CAPS
- Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist — a designation from the National Association of Home Builders held by some remodelers and designers. Always confirm a contractor's designation directly.
- Occupational therapist (OT)
- A licensed clinician who assesses how someone actually moves through their home and recommends changes. Often the most useful first call before buying equipment.
- Home modification
- Any physical change to a home that makes it safer or easier to use — from a $30 grab bar to a $60,000 bathroom remodel.Paying for home modifications
- Durable medical equipment (DME)
- Reusable medical equipment such as hospital beds, wheelchairs, and commodes. Some DME may be covered by insurance while most home modifications are not — coverage depends on the plan and a clinician's documentation.
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