The assistive kithcen dishwasher is designed for wheelchair assisted personnel with varying
disabilities but also accomodates visual impairments. Since it is impossible to come up
with one universal design for all disabilities, an alternative design is presented under
the Adaptive Features section.
- Standard Height (34 inches) -- The height of the dishwasher is the same
height as the countertop.
- Width -- Standard width of a conventional dishwasher.
- Depth -- Standard depth of a conventional dishwasher.
- Location
- Dishwasher should be located so it is accessible from
either side. It should be raised off the floor 6 to 8 inches.
- Controls
- Controls for the dishwasher are designed to
require little force, and do not require gripping, twisting or fine finger
dexterity.
- Lever handle or Blade control knob
- These are excellent controls for
setting different type of wash cycles but touch pads are better for disabled
individuals with loss of finger mobility and strength.
- Electronic touch pad controls
- These are the best controls for degraded
finger/hand mobility and strength but can be confusing for multiple commanded
inputs for the dishwasher.
- Rolling Table
- This item is essential for loading and unloading the
dishwasher. It should be counter top height with handles for ease of mobility.
- Alternative Design
- If space is a concern, compact dishwashers are
available on the market that fit on top of a countertop with the following
dimensions: 19.5" high X 21.5" wide X 22.5" deep. These have the standard
drop down doors with rollout baskets.
- Features
-
- Drop down front door
- Most standard washers are equipped with drop down
doors. As an added feature, grip handles are a nice feature for both inside and
outside the dishwasher, for ease of openning and closing the dishwasher door.
- Roll out basket
- Most standard washers are also equipped with this
feature so this shouldn't be an addition to an adaptive dishwasher design.
The dishwasher requires a hot water line and piping for drainage;
The four different materials pipe can be made from are: copper, cast iron, steel and plastic (PVC).
Copper is the most expensive but lasts the longest due to lack of corrosion. It's light, easy to
install and can be easily cut with a hacksaw. Drain pipes are generally thinner than hot and cold
water pipes. They require venting so the sewer gases do not filter back into the house.
Copper pipe is recommended and it's available in four wall thicknesses indicated in Table 1.
Silicon strip tape is recommended for copper piping threads to provide
ease of maintenance for future pipe replacement.
Hot water pipes should always be covered with insulation to protect from
loss of temperature
Table 1. Plumbing Pipe Selections
| Type |
Common Use |
| K |
Underground water services (Thickest wall) |
| L |
Natural gas services |
| M |
Residential water systems (Thiner wall) |
| DWV |
Drain pipes (Thinnest wall) |
[Introduction]
[Layout]
[Electrical]
[Refrigerator]
[Dishwasher]
[Microwave]
[Oven]
[Range]
[Sink]
[Countertops]
[Storage]
[References]
