Making Homes Accessible With Home Automation
People with disabilities or mobility challenges often find that the world is not designed with them in mind. It can be difficult to reach things and perform tasks that many people take for granted.
Home automation has been growing in popularity among people who suffer from these issues and those that care for them. Not only can home automation devices make life easier, but these devices also give people freedom and independence that they may not have been able to enjoy before.
Here are some innovations in home automation that are changing the lives of people with disabilities.
Cool as a Cucumber
It’s not uncommon to be sitting in your home or lying in bed, only to feel that your home is too warm to be comfortable. Not only is this annoying, but it can actually affect your ability to enjoy a good night of sleep. For an able-bodied person to rectify this issue, it requires them to go to the thermostat, turn off the heating function, and then draw the blinds to prevent light from further heating up the home. It’s an annoyance, for sure, but nothing insurmountable.
That same situation for someone in a wheelchair, for example, is far more of a challenge. In some cases, assistance may be needed to perform all the tasks.
In an automated home, changing the thermostat and drawing the blinds can be done without moving or even having to lift a finger. Ecobee thermostats offer both app and voice control from anywhere in the home, while Lutron or Hunter Douglas blinds can be drawn in the same manner.
Thanks to home automation, a daunting task has become nothing more than a simple voice command or touch screen input.
A Visitor Has Arrived
Now let’s imagine a new scenario. Someone has arrived at the door and rang the doorbell. Someone who is able-bodied can go to the door, look through the peephole, and then determine if they wish to unlock the door. Again, the process is relatively simple.
Someone with mobility challenges will not consider the task to be as simple. First, making it to the door could be difficult and time-consuming. Checking to see who is at the door may also be difficult. And, finally, unlocking the door is just another challenge on top of the previous ones.
An automated home can change all of that while providing safety, security, and convenience for the resident inside.
An August doorbell camera combined with a smart lock can allow homeowners to see who is waiting at the door and give them the power to let in friends or family using just a smartphone or tablet.
Users with disabilities or mobility issues can secure their home while also feeling confident that they are able to respond to legitimate visitors quickly.
Just the Tip of The Iceberg
We have only covered some ways home automation can change the life of a person with disabilities. There are a wide range of available products and home automation products in development that can make a world of difference for those who often find that traditional home products were not designed for them.
