Accessibility Solutions
Melanie is an ISU Extension Master Gardener who has lived with fibromyalgia and arthritis for more than a decade. She finds it difficult to bend and stoop, as well as use her hands for heavy lifting and digging. She and her husband bought a modular home (Fig. 1) in 2000 and wanted to make sure that it and the surrounding gardens were accessible for them.


Gardens: First she raised the gardening beds by adding a second board and filled them with more soil to create a comfortable work height (Fig. 2). Next she raised the hose hook-ups on the side of the shed (Fig. 3) so that she can reach them without bending over. She also replaced the usual round knobs with oblong ones that have a rubber coating, making them easier to turn on and off when her hands are wet (red arrows, Fig. 4).

Wide vegetable beds are hard to reach and weed so, instead, Melanie planted them in long narrow rows (Fig. 5). She can easily mow between the rows and reach into them from both sides which help her avoid getting down on her hands and knees. She also uses a tarp (Fig. 6) to control the weeds. She cuts holes in the tarp for the plants and waters and weeds through the holes (blue arrow, Fig. 6).


Melanie has also purchased specialized tools to make it easier for her to garden. The 100 foot long hoses have a lever (red circle, Fig. 7) that is long enough to grab with her fingers or push with her palm. This allows her to turn the water on and off at the end of the hose instead of walking back to the faucet. Water wands have a 180 adjustable head, a long trigger to turn the water on and off, and a telescoping wand (Fig. 8) that enable her to reach tall hanging baskets as well as low pots. The potato fork has an ergonomic padded handle (Fig. 9) that is easier on her joints.

Melanie typically avoids using small pots for annual flowers because she would have to bend over to dead-head or weed them. However, she does put them along stairs so she can sit while she works (Fig. 10). She also uses deck rail flower pots (Figs. 11 & 12) that are a convenient height for weeding and watering. They hang over the rail on both sides, are easy to carry and dump, and can be found at many local stores.

Pot hooks make it convenient to display small containers of annual flowers (Fig. 13) at a comfortable height. Melanie can easily reach her pots (Fig. 14) to weed and water them. Another strategy she uses to raise flower pots to the right height is to place them on chairs or bed frames to serve as fun art, as well as functional equipment (Figs. 15 & 16).

Melanie wears a special pair of gloves when doing garden work that helps prevent some of the aches and pains caused by fibromyalgia and arthritis (Fig. 17). The padding over the joints helps keep her hands comfortable. Melanie said “When I wear these gloves my hands don’t ache.”


To make it easier to grow herbs along the side of her house, Melanie moved the water hook-up and a hose rack closer to the herb bed (Fig. 18). Notice the lever that makes it easy to turn the water on and off (red arrow, Fig. 18).


In addition to saving human energy, Melanie and her husband are also concerned about water conservation. Her husband used an old barrel (Fig. 19) to catch rain water from the gutters. He put a lid on it to avoid collecting leaves. He raised it to a convenient height for Melanie (red circle, Fig. 19) so she doesn’t need to bend over to get water out of it. The spigot at the bottom can be turned on and off when they want to fill watering cans. The spigot handle is a unique shape (red circle, Fig. 20) so that it is easy for Melanie to grab and use, even with wet hands.


Bathroom: The master bathroom is conveniently located next to the master bedroom. It has enough space to accommodate a wheelchair and can be modified easily as their needs change. Currently there is a bathtub (Figs. 21 & 22) that could be removed if space is needed in the future for a roll-in shower. There are also two sinks (red numbers, Figs. 21 & 22) that are separate from one another. Melanie mentioned that one could be removed, lowered, or opened underneath if she needed to sit when washing her hands, while the other could still be used by her husband.

The master closet can be accessed from the bathroom or the bedroom (red arrows, Figs. 22 & 23). Melanie installed storage shelves from floor to ceiling, as well as rods for hanging clothes at two different levels.

Laundry: The laundry area was modified to help Melanie avoid painful bending. They bought front-loading machines and placed the washer and dryer on a shelf (Fig. 24). Underneath is a mesh clothes sorter on wheels that can be pushed out of the way when not in use (red circle, Fig. 24).


Financing the Project
Personal Funds

Lessons Learned/Advice for Others
Melanie’s advice for others is, “Plan ahead for what you’re doing. Look, read, and research what is out on the market and new.” Her strategy in making modifications is, “use the same strategy outside that you do inside.”

The lesson they learned the hard way was, “We raised all the electrical outlets but we didn’t on the outside. Outside we have to get on our hands and knees and pull up the cover to plug cords in. When we redo the deck they will be on the side of the deck so they are easy to reach.”

What Difference Did It Make?
The modifications that Melanie and her husband made have helped her deal with the pain from fibromyalgia and arthritis. Some of the smallest modifications made the biggest difference: having the washer and dryer raised up and having big knobs or levers that she can use to turn things on and off. Melanie said of the modifications, “I think we’re set up for the next ugly phase of life.”