Accessible - Door Handles

Horizontal handrail the full width of the door on the inside. Internal bolt.

Carved wooden handle nailed to the inside of the door

Metal hook and eye on inside of door

Suitable for: everyone, especially women and girls.

Construction	Advantages	Disadvantages	Improvements / variations	Cost / labour
Horizontal handrail the full width of the door on the inside. Internal bolt.	User can easily reach Door can be bolted to increase privacy Large, chunky bolt is easy to operate	Door must be solid enough to fix the rail to Needs monitoring to ensure it is securely fixed and that the bolt slides easily	Rail could be made of wood (2nd photo, left), g.i. pipe, chain, or cord	Medium
Carved wooden handle nailed to the inside of the door	Easy for all users to grasp Materials locally available Easy to construct	Does not keep the door closed	Add a bolt or hook to fasten the door closed Handle could also be fixed to the door frame for support when entering	Low
Metal hook and eye on inside of door	Ensures privacy Easy to install Materials locally available	Can be too fiddly for some users to operate	Instead of a hook, wire can be looped over a bent nail, or a loop of string wound round a bent nail.	Low to medium

Acknowledgements

• Compendium of accessible WASH technologies WaterAid and WEDC.