This blog post discusses four ways to make a garage door and the opener easier for someone in a wheelchair or who is elderly to use it safely and easily.

3 Tips to Make a Handicap-Accessible Garage Door

Many people are in wheelchairs or are elderly, making it more difficult for some people to use a garage door the same way that other people are able to easily use them. If you or someone you know has accessibility issues, there are a few fairly simple ways that you can make a handicap-accessible garage door easier to operate for them.

Install the Button Lower for a Handicap-Accessible Garage Door

One of the most obvious ways to make a handicap-accessible garage door for someone with limited mobility is to install the garage door button lower to the ground so that even someone in a wheelchair could reach it. This is also a good option for someone who is elderly and has difficulties reaching up high.

Lengthen the Emergency Release Cord

In most cases, the garage door opener works just fine. But there’s and emergency release cord on almost every garage door for good reason: garage door openers can break. So that you can know that you or a disabled loved one can easily open the garage door in the case of an emergency, simply lengthen the manual release cord for a more handicap-accessible garage door.

Make Sure That Visibility Is Always Good

Many garages are completely dark when the garage door is closed and all of the lights are off. You can ensure that there is always light inside during daylight hours by having windows cut into the existing garage door. Another way to add light to the garage during all hours of the day is to install a light that automatically turns on whenever the garage door closes. Put it on a timer so that it shuts off after a few minutes. Otherwise, you can also install motion sensors to turn the lights on whenever there’s movement in the garage. A technician who performs garage door repair in Providence can do the installation.