As a scooter-using woman and mom, I can usually discern if a bathroom can comfortably fit multiple sizes of mobility devices, or if the designers just included grab bars and called it “accessible.” From the way the door opens, to the type of locks, to sink access, and the hand dryer, using a well thought out inclusive bathroom makes all the difference in maintaining dignity and privacy in a public space.
Why does the disability community know so much about bathrooms? “Functional incontinence,” also known as disability-associated urinary incontinence, is characterized by The Continence Foundation of Australia as a “physical, intellectual, or environmental issue that makes it difficult…to use the toilet.”
Jacqueline and Anthony Scali know how challenging it can be to find an accessible bathroom. As parents of two, life is always on the move; both their son and daughter love spending time with friends and family, and want to go out and have new experiences. Their son is disabled and requires full assistance with his activities of daily living (ADLs). As he outgrew the typical child-size changing table found in restrooms, planning outings to parks, beaches, aquariums, museums, and the like became difficult due to the lack of restroom facilities to grow with him.
For the Scali family, “feeling welcome” in ill-equipped facilities takes preparation, physical strength, assistance, and sometimes money. “We try to plan trips and visit places where we can have easy access to our car to change our son in the trunk, while he is small enough to do so,” Jacqueline Scali explains. Their process without easy access to their vehicle involves transferring her son out of his wheelchair, laying him on a blanket, and using towels and blankets as visual barriers to maintain his privacy. Some families they know use disposable chucks and mats and change their loved one on a bathroom floor.
Mrs. Scali notes that the most expensive solution that they and other families and individuals have employed is booking a hotel room. The Scali family has used this solution several times for trips that would otherwise be considered a day trip to have private and dignified space to change their son. She says that when faced with solutions that are taxing on all fronts, many individuals and families will often choose to remain at home as it is “…the easiest, most sanitary, and dignified choice.”
Over time, the Scali family found the Changing Spaces Campaign on social media and were elated that they were not isolated in facing barriers to community engagement and travel due to under-equipped restrooms. They reached out to the organization chairs and brought a Changing Spaces Chapter to New York. The organization is advocating for accessible restrooms that include a functional solution for members of the disability community who are unable to use the toilet: adjustable height adult-sized/universal changing tables.
On a state level, the Changing Spaces Campaign is promoting the Traveling with Dignity Act, which provides for a “height-adjustable adult changing table placed within an enclosed restroom facility or other similar private facility.” As Mrs. Scali shares, “Right now, the only thing available to young people and adults in most public facilities who require facilities beyond a wheelchair stall is nothing.”
Ironically, the Scalis, who are the leaders of the New York chapter of the Changing Spaces Campaign, couldn’t bring their son to the New York State Capitol to advocate for the Traveling with Dignity Act, because all the rest stops on the way to Albany lacked universal changing tables, as did the Capitol building. The advocates they worked with from an organization called CP Unlimited spent countless dollars on hotels to address their own toileting needs with dignity.
She noted that some venues such as Citi Field, Legoland, the Museum of Play in Rochester and one rest stop near Syracuse on the New York State Thruway have adjustable height/universal changing tables available. These types of venues are cited in the Traveling with Dignity Act, which covers convention centers, amusement parks, sports arenas, movie theaters for which the occupancy is at least 2,500 occupants, rest stops, museums, public libraries, and other public buildings. “It will allow people who require this accommodation to travel freely throughout New York State,” says Mrs. Scali. “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.”
On Long Island, the Town of Oyster Bay is already making strides for a more inclusive accessible park system by fixing adult changing tables installed in three parks with a plan to install 15 more. “Our goal is to make Oyster Bay’s parks more inclusive for everyone,” Supervisor Saladino said. “By adding adult changing tables to our public restrooms, we are ensuring that individuals with disabilities, their families, and caregivers can enjoy our parks with dignity and ease. This is just one of many steps we are taking to create an environment where everyone feels welcome.”
The spectrum of disability features a wide range of functionality. Universal changing tables mean community participation will require less planning and stress, and more enjoyment for all.