Bad Design Style: Case #13

This simple door gets to be the lucky number 13 case of Bad Design Style. So what’s wrong with this door? Actually nothing really, it’s the hallway and the door’s location which are the problem. Located at the end of a narrow hallway, there’s not enough clear maneuvering space on the latch side of the door. A wheelchair user would have extreme difficulty opening this door because the door will be swinging out at them with no space to get out of the way.

ADA calls for at least 18 inches of space on the latch side of the door if you’re approaching a door that swings out at you. This way a wheelchair user can angle themselves closer to the door handle and then open the door without being in the way. Even had this door swung outward, there still would need to be at least 12 inches of clear maneuvering space on the latch side. If the trim is 2 inches wide, then there still would need to be at least another 2 inches of clear maneuvering space for this door.