A public bathroom at a stadium, concert venue, or highway rest stop is hardly the location someone envisions as the perfect place for inclusivity and consideration. However, for more than 300,000 New Yorkers, it is just the venue for solving an ongoing issue central to their personal dignity and well-being.
Currently, people who use wheelchairs and individuals who require changing do not have the necessary accommodations in restrooms across the Empire State—most states, in fact, aside from Arizona, California, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and Minnesota—which leads to humiliating and degrading circumstances. “I had to crawl across the bathroom floor,” recalled Diego Ortiz, self-advocate.
A simple solution has been proposed and is being considered in the halls of power: The Traveling with Dignity Act. Designed to mandate the addition of height-adjustable adult changing tables in public restrooms at sites that can seat 2,500+ people as well as thruway infrastructure by 2030, “…the Act immediately provides a resolution for these daily indignities experienced by many of our most vulnerable. The height-adjustability is key as it makes the table available for anyone aged 8 to 80,” said Penny Pagliaro, Executive Director of CP Unlimited Hudson Valley.
The bills (Senate #4042, Assembly #6219) have already garnered plenty of bi-partisan, state- wide supporters in both the Senate and the House and followers now play the waiting game to see if it will pass this session. We acknowledge the original backers including Senators Peter Harckham and Rob Rolison and Assembly Member Chris Burdick. A previous bill was held in the Assembly in 2024 and punted to the next year so we have arrived at a critical crossroads in its evolution and hopeful, eventual passage.
“People with differing abilities should be able to participate in the same activities, day trips and excursions that are available to everybody, and the best way to effectuate this is to provide as many adult changing areas and disability-friendly rest areas as possible,” said Senator Peter Harckham.
While there have been piecemeal wins (a table here, a table there) the bill offers a widespread, immediate leveler to an issue that boils down to fairness and equality. The Changing Spaces Campaign, a national advocacy group focused on this very issue, echoes this sentiment. “It will allow people who require this accommodation to travel freely throughout New York State,” says Jaqueline Scali, co-Director of the New York chapter. “To enjoy museums, see a concert, spend time outdoors at a state park or beach, and ultimately leave their homes without worrying if there will be a restroom there for them.” It is apparent to anyone who uses public facilities that more can be done for veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, and others who use wheelchairs.
If we needed more motivation: The 2023-2027 New York State Plan on the Aging reports that the State currently ranks fourth in the nation in the number of older adults, with that population set to increase. New York is also home to the fifth-largest veteran population in the country with more than half over the age of 65, reports the Office for the Aging. With our population growing older and living longer the question will be: Does New York have the momentum to make full community participation a priority for this growing group?
Hundreds of thousands today and even more in the future are hoping the answer is yes.
Opinions expressed are solely those of the writer(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Able News at The Viscardi Center and/or The Viscardi Center.