If you or a loved one uses a wheelchair, then you’ll want to ensure that your home is easily accessible. Otherwise, you may find yourself stuck in the house more than you’d like or that your wheelchair-bound friends and family are unable to come visit you in your home.

One of the most common concerns that disabled or injured individuals have when installing folding doors in their homes is whether or not the doors are wheelchair-accessible or not. A set of high-quality folding doors can easily cost thousands of dollars, so naturally, they want to make sure that their money isn’t going to waste on a door system that they can’t even use.

The good news is that most folding door systems can be customized to make them wheelchair accessible! In today’s post, we’re going to show you everything that you can do to ensure that your new set of folding doors are 100% wheelchair-friendly, so you can use them as often as you’d like.

Let’s roll.

How To Customize Wheelchair-Accessible Folding Doors

If you’re looking for wheelchair-accessible folding doors, then you’ll want to go with a manufacturer that specializes in custom folding door systems. Unfortunately, most of the pre-fabricated bi-fold doors on the market are not wheelchair-friendly. They typically feature large door sills and narrow door panels that can make passing through with a wheelchair or motor chair almost impossible.

By going with a custom folding door manufacturer, though, you’ll be able to customize every single aspect of the door from the door sill to the width of the door panels, allowing you to create a 100% wheelchair-accessible folding door system.

Here are the main features that you’ll want to customize for maximum usability.

1) Use A Flush Track

Folding door systems typically utilize a bottom and top track, which allows the door panels to easily slide along the track and be folded or closed. So, first and foremost, you’ll want to go for a folding door system that features a flush bottom track (otherwise known as the door sill).

Usually, most door systems feature a slightly raised bottom track, which helps keep rainwater out and makes the doors easier to install. However, this can be hard for a wheelchair to roll over or can present a tripping hazard for elderly or disabled individuals.
By selecting a flush bottom track, there won’t be any tripping hazard and wheelchairs can easily roll through the doorway without an issue.

If you’re concerned about flooding or rainwater seeping under your door due to the flush door sill, the best solution is to install a drainage track or French drain in front of the doorway. This will remove any standing water and ensure that nothing is able to seep in under your doorway.

2) Ensure Door Panels Are Wide Enough For A Wheelchair

Another concern that some people often forget about is the size of the door panels. When all of the doors are folded to the side, this usually isn’t a problem. However, when the door system is closed, you’ll still want a wheelchair to be able to pass through the primary swinging door in the system.

Most high-quality folding door manufacturers offer a few different size options for door panels, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to choose a wider door panel that will allow for better wheelchair accessibility.

3) Easy-To-Reach Door Handle

Keep in mind that most wheelchairs put the individual a lot closer to the ground, decreasing their reach. Therefore, to complete your wheelchair-accessible folding door system, you’ll want to customize them with an easy-to-reach door handle.
This means that you’ll want to ensure that the door handle can be reached while the individual in question is sitting in their chair. You may also want to select a handle that’s easy to grasp, such as a lever-style handle.

4) Select A Lightweight Doorframe

Last but certainly not least, you’ll want to consider selecting a lightweight doorframe. This means that you probably shouldn’t opt for those extra-heavy hardwood folding doors. Instead, consider choosing vinyl or aluminum folding doors.
If you really like the appearance of natural wood, then you might consider purchasing wood-clad folding doors instead. These doors typically feature an aluminum skeleton with thin wood paneling on the surface, giving it the appearance of an all-wood door without the extra weight.

Commercial Doors And Wheelchair Accessibility

If you’re installing commercial folding doors as a main entrance to your business, then you’ll need to make absolutely sure that they’re wheelchair-accessible. It’s actually a law in most states! If you don’t provide a wheelchair-accessible entrance, then you could be fined by state officials or even sued by a disgruntled customer.

Conclusion

While folding doors may not come off the shelf wheelchair-accessible, you can easily order wheelchair-accessible folding doors by customizing them from the factory. As long as you choose folding doors that feature a lightweight doorframe, a flush door sill, an easy-to-grab handle, and wide door panels, your brand-new folding doors will be 100% wheelchair-friendly.