Part 2: If We Can't Get In, We Never Come | The Entrance Problem
Part 2 of the Accessible by Choice series
The entrance is the first thing. Before anyone can experience your space, your staff, your services, or your community, they have to get through the door. And for a significant number of people with disabilities, that door is where the visit ends before it even begins.
This is not a dramatic overstatement. It is something I experience regularly as a daily wheelchair user, and something I understood long before that as a designer who spent years working with the products and specifications that shape how buildings function. The entrance is one of the most common accessibility failure points in existing buildings, and it is also one of the most fixable.
This post covers the full range, from a $20 fix you can order today to investments that larger businesses and institutions have no good excuse for not making. Not every solution is right for every building or every budget. But every building has somewhere to start.
The threshold problem
A threshold is the strip at the bottom of a doorway where the door meets the floor. Most people step over them without thinking. For someone using a wheelchair, a rollator, a cane, or a walker, a raised threshold is a genuine barrier. And we are not just talking about significant height differences. A quarter inch lip is enough to catch the front wheel of a rollator and send an older adult stumbling. A half inch can stop a wheelchair cold or require enough force to navigate that it becomes unsafe. These are not edge cases. These are everyday entrances in businesses and churches across the country.
Threshold ramps address this directly, and they are one of the most cost effective accessibility upgrades available. I recently put one in my own home for $20 from Amazon. It took about ten minutes and made an immediate difference.
When shopping for a threshold ramp, here is what to look for:
Material: Rubber ramps are best for interior use and light exterior use. They grip the floor well, are easy to cut to width if needed, and hold up well under regular foot traffic. Aluminum ramps are better for heavier exterior use, higher thresholds, and spaces that see a lot of wheelchair or rollator traffic. They are more durable and often have a higher weight rating.
Height and length: Match the ramp to your threshold height. Most threshold ramps are designed for heights between a quarter inch and two inches. If your threshold is higher than that, you may need a custom or modular ramp solution.
Width: Make sure the ramp covers the full width of the doorway. A ramp that only covers part of the opening creates a new trip hazard at the edges.
Weight rating: Check the product specifications. Most standard rubber threshold ramps are rated for several hundred pounds, which covers wheelchairs and mobility scooters, but it is worth confirming before you buy.
Search terms that will help you find the right product: "threshold ramp," "door threshold ramp," "wheelchair threshold ramp," or "rubber door ramp." Amazon, Home Depot, Lowes, and accessibility supply retailers like Medline, Drive Medical, and AliMed all carry options across a range of prices and heights.
For higher thresholds or exterior entryways with more significant elevation changes, a more permanent aluminum or steel threshold ramp may be needed. These run anywhere from $50 to a few hundred dollars and are typically installable by a handyman in an afternoon without a permit.
It is also worth naming this directly: threshold ramps are not only an accessibility upgrade. They are a fall prevention tool. For older adults, people with balance conditions, and anyone navigating an unfamiliar space, that small raised lip is a trip hazard. Removing it protects everyone, not just people who identify as disabled.
If your entrance has steps, that is a more involved conversation for a future post. But if you have a raised threshold and no ramp, this is the lowest barrier fix on this entire list. There is no reason to wait.
Door hardware
This is one of the easiest and most overlooked accessibility upgrades available, and there is almost no excuse for a building not to make it.
Round doorknobs require a gripping and twisting motion that is genuinely difficult or impossible for people with limited hand strength, arthritis, nerve conditions, Ehlers Danlos syndrome, lupus, MS, or upper limb differences. Lever handles require only a downward press. That is the entire difference, and it is significant.
Replacing a round knob with a lever handle typically costs between $15 and $60 per door depending on the quality and finish you choose. It takes about fifteen minutes with a screwdriver. It requires no permit, no contractor, and no significant planning. It is one of the highest impact to lowest effort swaps in accessibility, and it benefits not just people with disabilities but older adults, people carrying things, parents with children in their arms, and anyone who has ever fumbled with a doorknob while their hands were full.
When shopping for lever hardware, here is what to look for:
ADA compliant levers: Look for hardware specifically labeled as ADA compliant. This means the lever returns to within half an inch of the door or stop when released, which prevents clothing or bags from catching on it, and requires no tight grasping or twisting to operate.
Finish and durability: For high traffic public doors, look for commercial grade hardware rather than residential. Brands like Schlage, Kwikset, and Baldwin all make ADA compliant lever sets in residential price ranges. For commercial grade options, look at Sargent, Corbin Russwin, or Allegion, which are widely used in commercial construction and available through commercial hardware suppliers.
Keyed vs passage: For public entrances you will likely need keyed entry sets. For interior doors, passage levers with no lock mechanism are simpler and less expensive.
If you have multiple doors to update and want to do it efficiently, buy in bulk from a commercial hardware supplier or a big box store and schedule a handyman for a half day. You can realistically update every public facing door in a small building for a few hundred dollars in parts and a few hours of labor.
If you own or manage a building with round knobs on public facing doors, this is the place to start.
Door weight
This one is less visible but equally important. A door that is too heavy to open comfortably is a barrier even when everything else is right. The ADA recommends that interior doors require no more than 5 pounds of force to open, and exterior doors no more than 8.5 pounds in most cases. Many existing doors, especially older commercial ones, require significantly more than that.
For someone with limited upper body strength, fatigue based conditions, chronic pain, hypermobile joints, or a condition that affects grip and push strength, a heavy door can make a space functionally inaccessible even when it technically meets other requirements.
Here is how to get a rough sense of whether your door is within range: a fish scale or a simple push pull gauge attached to the door handle at handle height will give you a force reading in pounds. These tools cost between $10 and $30 online. Search "door force gauge" or "push pull gauge." If your door is consistently requiring more than 5 pounds of force for interior doors or 8.5 for exterior, it is worth addressing.
Solutions range from simple to moderate in cost and complexity:
Door closer adjustment: Most commercial doors have a hydraulic door closer, the mechanism at the top of the door that pulls it shut automatically. These have adjustment screws that control closing speed and closing force. A handyman, locksmith, or commercial door technician can often recalibrate an existing closer in under an hour for a relatively low service call cost. Ask specifically about adjusting the "closing force" or "latch speed" setting.
Door closer replacement: If the closer is old, worn, or cannot be adequately adjusted, replacing it is the next step. Hardware runs roughly $50 to $200 depending on the model and door weight. Labor adds to that but the total project is usually well under $500. LCN, Norton, and Dorma are well regarded commercial closer brands available through commercial hardware suppliers and some big box stores.
Hinge adjustment and lubrication: Sometimes a door that feels heavy is actually just fighting misaligned or sticky hinges. A handyman can assess this quickly. Hinge replacement on a standard commercial door is inexpensive and can make a noticeable difference in how much force is required to operate it.
Door replacement: In cases where the door itself is oversized, warped, or simply too heavy for its frame, replacement may be the right long term answer. This is a more significant investment but worth evaluating if the door is old and other issues are present.
Automatic door openers
This is where we move into territory that costs more, and where I want to be direct: if you are a larger business, a school, a hospital, a government building, a large church, or any institution with the resources to make this investment, the absence of automatic door openers on your public entrance is a choice. It is not a budget limitation. It is a priority decision.
Automatic door openers, also called power door operators, allow a door to open with the press of a button or through a motion sensor, without the user needing to pull, push, or grip anything. For wheelchair users, people with limited upper body strength, people with fatigue based conditions, people carrying mobility aids, and many others, these are not a convenience. They are the difference between entering independently and needing to wait for someone to help, or not going in at all.
Here is a breakdown of the options available across different budget levels:
Push button retrofit operators: These are the most accessible entry point for automatic door access. They add a push button activation plate to an existing door and a motorized operator that opens the door when the button is pressed. Brands like Stanley Access Technologies, ASSA ABLOY, and Horton Automatics make retrofit systems that work with many existing commercial doors. Installed cost typically runs between $1,500 and $3,500 depending on door type and complexity. This is the right solution for mid sized businesses, churches with some facilities budget, and organizations that want to move toward automatic access without full door replacement.
Automatic sliding doors: Common in retail and healthcare settings, these replace an existing door with a sliding automatic system. They are the gold standard for high traffic accessible entrances. Installed cost runs from $3,000 to $8,000 or more depending on the opening size and system type. For large retailers, medical facilities, and institutions, this cost is well within normal facilities budgets and should be treated accordingly.
Automatic swing door operators: These work with existing hinged doors and add a motorized arm that swings the door open on activation. They are a good middle ground for spaces where a sliding door is not feasible. Brands include LCN, Norton, and Stanley. Installed cost typically runs $2,000 to $4,000.
Low energy operators: A lower cost variation that opens the door slowly when activated, designed for lower traffic areas. These run roughly $1,000 to $2,500 installed and are worth considering for secondary entrances, interior accessible routes, and smaller organizations with some but not unlimited budget.
For funding assistance, the following resources are worth exploring:
The federal Disabled Access Credit covers 50% of eligible accessibility improvement costs between $250 and $10,250 per year for small businesses. Automatic door openers qualify. Search IRS Form 8826 for details.
The Architectural Barriers Act and Title II of the ADA create funding obligations for government buildings and publicly funded institutions. If your building receives any public funding, consult with a local ADA coordinator about compliance obligations and available resources.
Many states have their own accessibility grant programs for small businesses and nonprofits. Search your state name plus "accessibility grant" or "ADA improvement grant" to find what is available in your area. The ADA National Network at adata.org is also a free resource that can connect you with regional technical assistance.
For installation, contact a commercial door contractor or an automatic door specialist. Most major markets have companies that specialize in this work. Search "commercial automatic door installation" plus your city or region for local options. Ask specifically about retrofit options for existing doors if full replacement is not in the budget.
Putting it together
Not every building can do everything at once. But every building can do something, and the entrance is the place to start because nothing else matters if people cannot get in.
If you are a small business or a church operating on a limited budget, start with the threshold ramp and the door hardware. Those two changes together can cost under $80 and make a meaningful difference for a significant number of people.
If you have a modest facilities budget, add a door closer assessment and adjustment. It is low cost relative to the impact and addresses one of the most common hidden barriers in existing buildings.
If you are a larger institution and your public entrance does not have an automatic door opener, put it on the facilities agenda now. The funding resources exist, the technology is well established, and the impact on the people who need it is significant.
The entrance is not just a door. It is a statement about who your space is actually for. Make sure the answer is everyone.
Next up: Part 3: Once They're Inside. Furniture layout, aisle width, seating options, floor surfaces, lighting, and sensory considerations.