Every recommendation on this site is traceable to a source.
This is an editorial resource, not a medical one. Below: what this guide is, what it isn't, and the full list of sources cited across every page.
What this guide is
Wheel + Kitchen is a research-backed field guide from Gina Makes, a studio in Des Moines, Iowa. It answers a specific question: How do you cook real food in a standard, non-adapted kitchen, from a manual wheelchair?
The content pulls from three overlapping sources: occupational-therapy literature, ADA and universal-design specifications, and personal writing by wheelchair users who cook. Where these sources agree, we present the consensus. Where they conflict, we present both and note the tradeoff.
What this guide is not
- Not medical advice. Nothing here should replace guidance from an occupational therapist, physical therapist, or physician who knows your body.
- Not a home-modification plan. If you're renovating for accessibility, work with an ADA-trained designer and OT.
- Not comprehensive. Every wheelchair user's setup, injury level, energy, and goals are different. Take what applies, discard the rest.
- Not sponsored. No affiliate links, no paid placements, no brand deals.
Full source list
Wheelchair-user writing and lived experience
- New Mobility — "My Three-Step Plan for Happy, Accessible Cooking" by Katie Rodriguez Banister
- Urban Cripple — "How to Safely Work a Stovetop While in a Wheelchair"
- SPINALpedia — "Adaptive cooking: The Joy of Baking"
- Shield HealthCare — "Wheel Cooking — Adapted Cooking"
- Living Spinal — "The Accessible Kitchen: Cooking and Meal Prep Hacks on Wheels"
- Invacare — "Cooking From A Wheelchair: Adaptive Tips and Hacks" (archived)
Occupational therapy and clinical resources
- United Spinal Association — "Adaptive Cooking Techniques"
- Alberta Health Services — "Cooking When You Have Low Energy" (PDF)
- Can Do MS — "Strategies for Healthy and Effective Meal Planning and Preparation"
- Enabling Devices — "8 Cooking Hacks for Chefs with Disabilities"
- Flint Rehab — "Therapist-Recommended Adaptive Kitchen & Cooking Tools"
- Living Unlimited — "Best Adaptive Kitchen Tools for One-Handed and Low-Grip Cooking"
- MonTECH (University of Montana Rural Institute) — "Gadgets for Safer, Easier At-home Cooking"
- MIND — "Cooking tips for PWD"
Fire safety
- Fire Readiness for Wheelchair Users (FEW) — University of Illinois & Craig H. Neilsen Foundation (PDF)
ADA, universal design, and accessibility codes
- U.S. Access Board — 2010 ADA Standards, Chapter 8 (Kitchens, §804)
- U.S. Access Board — ADA Accessibility Standards
- Universal Design — Kitchen Specifications
- University of Missouri Extension — "Kitchens for Workers in Wheelchairs"
- Lakeshore Barrier Free — "10 Smart Ways to Create a Wheelchair Accessible Kitchen"
About Gina Makes
Gina Makes is a studio building software, editorial content, and consumer products — including Gina Makes Pantry (a testing-workflow cookbook) and The Loop and the Line (a punch-needle course). Wheel + Kitchen is part of the studio's editorial line.
Corrections and contributions
This guide will get things wrong. If you find an error, or if a recommendation here contradicts your lived experience as a wheelchair-using cook, I want to know. Email hello@ginamakes.dev.