The Bathroom Beat: WWU's ENVS Bathrooms

A bathroom: a place that can bring me excitement -- like that of a four year old on Christmas morning -- or disappointment -- like that of the same four year old when they find their stocking stuffed full of socks. Bathrooms are not always accessible, making it either extremely difficult or impossible for me to use. This leaves me in pursuit of having to venture on to find an accessible bathroom, or just plan my day around having to return home to use my own bathroom. When I find an accessible bathroom that is truly wheelchair friendly, I am filled with excitement; I am not kidding, I love it when bathrooms are accessible! I also will plan my route in accordance with any accessible bathroom. The accessible bathroom on the ground floor of the Environmental Studies (ENVS) building on Western Washington University's campus is one of these bathrooms.

In ENVS, this one accessible stall is the only accessible stall for all six floors; even though there are bathrooms provided to the public on each floor in ENVS, there is not one accessible stall on each floor, but just one on the ground floor. The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) only requires one -- not one per bathroom, but just one per building -- so why provide more (even if that requires those who need an accessible stall to travel six stories in order to use the bathroom)?

This one bathroom stall is one of my favorites on Western's campus. It is rarely used, one of the largest ones (101.5"x74"), the stall door swings in (which makes it easier for people in wheelchairs to close), the lock does not require twisting or pinching, and the bathroom door has an access button; however, even this amazing bathroom stall is in violation of a handful of standards set by the ADA (i.e. there is not a pull handle on either side of the stall door, the sink drain pipes are not covered, the handle on the paper towel dispenser is too high, the coat hook is also too high, and there is a heater vent -- an obstructive object --  that is in between the toilet and the wall). Even though this bathroom stall is the only accessible stall in ENVS, it is not the only ENVS bathroom that is in violation of the ADA.

In ENVS, there are whole and half floors. The half floors are located on the west end of the building and can be accessed from the whole floors by half flights of stairs or via the west elevator. The whole floors are indicated by a whole number, while the half floors are indicated with a decimal (i.e. 0.3). The whole floors include the Ground floor (G), the first floor (1), the second floor (2), the third floor (3), the fourth floor (4), and the fifth floor (5). The half floors start with 0.3, and continue up to include floors 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6. Each of the whole and half floors (except 0.6) provide a bathroom to the public; all the bathrooms above G are not accessible; however, half of them are more than just unaccessible, they do not indicate the location of the nearest accessible bathroom; some are also lacking contrasted characters and Braille, which is a violation of the ADA.

The ADA requires a sign -- which should hang on the wall to the latch side of the door -- that indicates the sex of the bathroom in contrasted and raised characters as well as in Braille. The ADA also requires that if the bathroom is not accessible that the sign indicates where the nearest accessible bathroom is located. On 0.3, there is not a sign at all; this means it is in violation of the ADA.

On 0.4, there is a men's bathroom; there is also a men's bathroom on 4 (unlike the other floors where the half floor has a bathroom for one sex and on the whole floor one is provided for the other). So, there is a paper sign indicating where the nearest woman's bathroom is located (one floor up or one floor down); however, this paper sign does not have raised characters, information written in Braille, nor does it indicate where the nearest accessible women's bathroom is located. There is a men's sign, that does follow the ADA standards, but it is only pertinent for men who need to use the bathroom. It is possible that a woman in need of an accessible bathroom travels to the bathroom located on 0.4, sees that the nearest women's bathroom is one floor down, travels there just to find that the bathroom is not accessible and on top of that does not have a sign to indicate the location of an accessible bathroom; therefore, this woman has yet to relieve herself, and has spent time unsuccessfully searching for a bathroom.

A close-up of both the Men's and Women's bathroom signs on floor 0.4 of the Environmental Studies building. Both signs are to the right of the door. The Men's sign is dark blue, with a white symbol of a male is located in the top middle of the sign. Right underneath the symbol of the male, the word "MEN" is printed in white, capital letters. Below the word "MEN", the sentence of, "Accessible restrooms on ground floor", is written out in white lettering. Under this sign, a 8.5"x11", white, paper sign hangs. At the top of this sign it reads, "Where?", in black lettering. Under the "Where", there is a black rectangle centered in the middle of the white paper. In the top, middle of the black rectangle there is a white symbol of a female. Right underneath the symbol of the female, the word "WOMEN" is printed in white, capital letters. Below the word "WOMEN", the sentence of, "One floor up or down", is written out in black lettering. 

On 0.5, the sign is hung on the door, not on the wall. This is a violation of the ADA, and is a simple standard that WWU cannot even follow. It is important that the signs are in similar places so they are quick and easy to find; it is also important for the sign to be on the wall -- rather than the door -- in case the door is open. If the sign is not in the expected place, it may be difficult for a person who is legally blind or blind to find the bathroom in time.

The bathrooms on floors 1 through 5 all have signs that fulfill the set standards of the ADA. However, floors 1 and 5 have unisex bathrooms, unisex bathrooms that are large enough to be equipped with the necessary standards to meet the requirements of the ADA and become accessible. The ADA does not say that buildings cannot have more than one accessible bathroom or stall, but just indicates that as the minimum.

I am thankful that Western has provided an accessible stall in ENVS that both my PCA and I can easily fit in; however, getting to that bathroom can be an adventure. When having a class on the fourth floor,  I had to take the elevator down five stories to get to the bathroom; the west elevator can take up to five minutes to arrive at any given floor. When needing to use the bathroom, no one wants to travel five or six floors to use the bathroom, nor does anyone desire to wait for an elevator for five minutes before traveling those five or six floors. One day, I waited for the elevator in ENVS for a couple minutes before someone walked by and informed me that the elevator was broken. I then had to travel across the building to the east elevator and wait for it to arrive, ride down the five floors just to have to travel back to the west side of the building in order to use the bathroom. Why was there not a sign indicating that the elevator was broken and to instead use the east elevator; is it too much to ask for people to be courteous enough to value others' time?

Having to use the bathroom is something that is apart of daily life; most people do not think about this daily activity and take it for granted. Many people with disabilities plan their day around the bathroom; knowing if and where there is an accessible bathroom can be crucial information. The accessibility of a bathroom can be a factor in whether or not a person feels welcome; having an accessible bathroom can say a lot to a person with a disability. Having a public bathroom without having an accessible bathroom is not legal, and having a bathroom with the international access symbol that is actually not accessible is misleading and not acceptable. Please remember that people with disabilities are people; people need to use the bathroom, therefore people with disabilities need to use the bathroom too.

It's All About that Label: How the Term Compliant Does Not Always Mean Equal

My family was recently in the market for a new range. Rather than purchasing a typical range, my parents decided to purchase one that is ADA compliant. This means all the buttons and knobs are on the front of the range, right above the oven door. Even though the ADA range would still not allow me to cook most things -- due to lack of strength -- we decided that it would still be a suitable choice. If needed, I would now be able to turn the oven on or off; if someone was on the way, I could preheat the oven, and if someone left while something was cooking, I could turn the oven off. The knobs on the front would also allow me to have access to the stove top. I can cook a few simple things -- like an egg; it takes me a while, but I can do it (however, the pan needs to be out, the egg needs to be in reach, and I need a table knife and a dish as well)!

This all sounds nice, but there is a catch! The ADA compliant range that my parents purchased cost almost $400.00 more than the typical version of the SAME range. Just because an appliance is ADA compliant does not mean it should cost more; accommodations that are supposed to make things equal should not in turn put an extra hardship on the person it is supposed to be for. It does not matter if the ADA compliant range has a lower demand than the typical one; all people should have access to an equal opportunity to buy the same range -- cost included. A range should not be bumped out of someone's price range because it is ADA compliant; it is not fancier or more high tech, it is just accessible. In fact, the ADA compliant range that my parents purchased is LESS fancy and LESS high tech than the same typical range. The ADA compliant range is lacking the clock and the timer that comes on that typical range. And, the manual that we received is not for the ADA compliant range, but for the typical one; the diagrams for the buttons and knobs do not match up at all. Good thing we have operated a range before!

Another ironic thing about this ADA compliant range is that the diagrams next to the knobs are not raised and Braille is not present next to the words to provide accessibility to people who are blind or visually impaired and read Braille. So, would the stove my parents purchased be considered ADA compliant for just people who use wheelchairs? And, is there a separate range that is ADA compliant just for people who are blind? And, how much would that range cost? Why can't all ovens just be created to accommodate all people for the same price? 

I am blessed to have parents that have the ability to afford a range that is $400.00 more than the typical version. But, if I was purchasing this range on my own, there is no way -- at this point in my life -- that I could have afforded the luxury of having an accessible range. This also goes for many other people with disabilities. 

Extra costs do not stop at ranges, but extend to so many other things that many people use on a daily basis; the extra cost for accessible ranges is just a scratch on the surface of what people who use wheelchairs typically face. However, they are not the same for all people with disabilities, but no extra costs for the SAME things should exist for any of us. Accessibility should not be a luxury, it should instead make things equal.