Measure the whole route equipment must travel, including the turns and working space at the destination. A chair can pass through a doorway and still leave no room to turn toward the toilet. A walking aid can fit a hallway yet encounter a threshold or door swing that makes the route difficult.
Use this worksheet to collect facts for a supplier and an occupational therapist. It does not certify that a home or device is accessible, and it does not provide construction instructions. Start with the bedroom-to-bathroom route, the entrance and the route to the main living area.
Measure the opening you actually have
For a swinging door, measure the usable gap with the door open at its normal usable angle. Record that angle and anything preventing it opening farther. Measure between the face of the open door and the opposite stop, rather than using the nominal door size from a listing.
The U.S. Access Board’s ADA door guidance illustrates clear width measured with a door open 90 degrees and gives a 32-inch minimum for covered openings. ADA standards apply to covered public accommodations and other covered facilities; this public-building reference is not a rule for ordinary private-home interiors or proof that a particular device will work there. Applicability can differ for covered housing or mixed-use premises. Record your actual opening, even when it is narrower or opens less than 90 degrees.
Doorway width also leaves out the approach. Note whether you must turn immediately before or after the opening and whether you can reach the handle without backing into furniture. Have someone else take difficult measurements rather than leaning or balancing unsafely to reach them.
Get the equipment dimensions in its working configuration
Ask the supplier for overall width and length with the intended foot supports, handles and accessories installed. Record the folded dimensions separately. Folded width answers a storage question; it does not answer whether someone can travel through a doorway while using the device.
A seat-width figure is also not overall width. On a wheelchair, wheels and other components can extend beyond the seating area. On a walking aid, the widest point may be at the handles or frame. Copy the manufacturer’s dimensional drawing where available and ask the supplier to identify the widest point. Personal seating and handle settings remain matters for professional assessment.
Room-by-room measurement sheet
Use one unit throughout and record the date. Repeat a row for every doorway or bottleneck. The final column should contain a measured equipment dimension or a specific unresolved question, rather than “looks fine.”
| Location | Home measurements and observations | Equipment dimension or review needed |
|---|---|---|
| Entrance | Clear opening; door swing; landing dimensions; step count and heights | Overall size; entry method for professional review |
| Hallway | Narrowest width; projecting furniture; radiator or handle locations | Widest equipment point and space for hands |
| Turn into a room | Width and length of clear space on both sides of corner | Configured length and supervised maneuvering assessment |
| Threshold | Height on each side; depth; edge shape; change of surface | Model instructions and therapist’s route assessment |
| Bathroom | Clear floor space; door arc; gaps beside toilet and basin | Device footprint plus assistance and transfer space |
| Bedroom | Bedside gap; bed height; route to switch and bathroom | Approach and transfer plan |
| Kitchen and living area | Aisles; table approach; movable chairs; rugs and cords | Room for use without obstructing routes |
| Storage | Available width, depth and height; access to parts | Folded size and lifting or unfolding plan |
What subtraction tells you—and what it leaves out
Here is a fictional numerical example, not a clearance recommendation. A measured opening is 30 inches wide and a proposed chair is 27 inches wide overall. The difference is 3 inches. If perfectly centered, that leaves 1.5 inches on each side. The calculation does not establish clearance for the user’s hands, approach angle, door movement or assistance.
Mark that row “needs review” rather than “passes.” A supplier demonstration and an occupational therapist’s assessment can investigate the actual route. Do not remove necessary supports, fold equipment while occupied or change a prescribed configuration to force it through a gap.
Record surfaces and tasks as well as dimensions
The CDC Check for Safety checklist covers clutter, rugs, cords, lighting and the night-time bathroom route. Use it alongside the measuring sheet: an adequate width can still be obstructed by a loose cable or a chair moved after dinner.
The Safe at Home checklist hosted by AOTA also considers door swings, floor-level changes and room for caregiver assistance. That last point is easily missed. Measure the space occupied by furniture, then note where a helper would need to stand; let the therapist assess whether the task can be performed there.
Take the sheet to the right next conversation
Mark each route as measured, awaiting a supplier dimension, or awaiting professional assessment. For steps, structural obstacles or proposed alterations, record the problem and seek qualified assessment rather than designing a ramp or changing a doorway from this worksheet.
Bring the completed sheet and model information to an occupational therapist’s home assessment or equipment appointment. Keep it with the product comparison worksheet. More category information is available in Mobility Equipment and its parent, Product Guides.