Danny Motley was injured in a cycling accident, which resulted in him being left with a spinal cord injury known as Central Cord Syndrome, as there was severe damage to levels C3 and C4, which left him reliant on a wheelchair.

After four months in hospital, Danny returned home. It became apparent from day one that the current home design and layout was totally unsuitable for someone with severe mobility issues and reliant on a wheelchair.

Living in such circumstances put a huge strain on Danny and the rest of the family, which resulted in some urgent house hunting to find a suitable new home. However, this was a lengthy and, at times, stressful experience, as the family wanted something similar in terms of style and still within the same local area to remain close to friends, but which had the scope to be remodelled.

Eventually, they found a traditional three-bedroom bungalow, which was ideal as they knew it could be extended and adapted to meet Danny’s requirements.

“During the design and build process we worked with occupational therapists and case managers to ensure the entire property would be fully accessible and multi-functional so it not only met my needs but would also be suitable for my wife and children as it is a multi-generational family home,” commented Danny.

One room that Danny and the rest of the family all enjoy using is the kitchen, and they were determined to continue this. Prior to his accident, Danny worked in the construction industry, so he did the initial designs himself as he knew what he wanted with regards to layout and space for him to easily manoeuvre his wheelchair.

Danny continued: “The one thing I thought would be a potential obstacle was the worktops as how would I use them from my wheelchair and my wife and children also use them – but then I discovered Ropox!”

As part of the kitchen design, a Ropox electric corner rise and fall worktop with an integrated sink and hob was installed. By installing a corner unit system, Danny can move safely and effortlessly between the sink and hob when he is cooking.

The Ropox height-adjustable rise and fall kitchen worktops have been designed to make the kitchen environment as accessible as possible for people with reduced mobility and wheelchair users. The electric version, which is installed in Danny’s kitchen, enables the user to change the height of the worktop to meet their specific needs at the touch of a button. This allows wheelchair users to use the kitchen independently.

The adjustable worktops from Ropox are also available with a manual mechanism and can be designed for use as a straight or corners unit, depending on the design of the kitchen and available space.

The whole family love the independence that the Ropox equipment has given Danny.

“I think the worktops are fantastic, they are very easy to use, and I would not hesitate in recommending the Ropox rise and fall worktops to other families that want to make their kitchen suitable for able bodied family members and a wheelchair user,” he explained.

Danny’s wife is equally impressed with the accessible kitchen: “The independence the kitchen gives Danny is fabulous. It certainly ticks all the boxes and if I am not around, I know Danny can safely prepare himself some food.

“Sometimes Danny will do the initial cooking and I will help when it comes to lifting heavier items such as pans etc., but thanks to the Ropox rise and fall worktops we can work as a team which is lovely. I had never seen anything like them before and have already recommended them to several people”.