There’s a lot that can be done to improve your attic. Safety is most important, and some safety issues are particularly important to people with disabilities. For example, safe passageways in the attic are critical for people with mobility and visual disabilities. Falls are identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in older adults.

People who have physical disabilities are especially vulnerable to injury and death from attic fires. Flames from 1 out of 3 attic fires spread from the attic to the rest of the house. The United States Fire Administration (USFA) calls for a comprehensive fire protection plan that includes smoke alarms, residential sprinklers, and an escape plan that is regularly practiced. Strategically placed fire-extinguishers can facilitate escape from a home that is threatened with fire, but all equipment must be accessible in order to useful to people with disabilities.

The attic can feel as distant as a mountaintop to some people with disabilities. People with disabilities should supervise attic transformations from a safe distance when disabilities and assistive equipment makes the atitc hazardous.

Here are 10 more tips for taming your attic:

1. Get help, a professional organizer or family and friends
2. Make a two category list of what’s in your attic: 1. Keep 2. Dispose
3. Get information on alternative means of disposal: 1. donations 2. garbage
4. Identify the place in your home that will hold attic objects until they are ready for disposal
5. Buy what’s needed: shelving units, specialty containers, labels,tape, marking pens etc.
6. Store attic contents in labeled, plastic containers of different sizes
7. Store items that are frequently used near the attic door.
8. Store items that are used seasonally near the attic door.
9. Store like items together----party supplies, gifts, tax records, coats, luggage etc.
10. Work for brief periods of time in well lit attic areas with comfortable temperatures.

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