The Bathroom Beat: Lack of Physical Access Makes Me Physically Uncomfortable

Here in the United States, bathrooms have recently become a hot topic that has swept the nation. The matter of whether someone should be comfortable while using the bathroom has been thoroughly discussed; however, the fact that many public restrooms are not physically accessible to all people -- whether due to a barrier blocking the bathroom, there not being an accessible stall, the accessible stall not actually being accessible, or just not having the equipment or adequate care to use the public bathroom altogether -- continues to be overlooked.

In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed by both the House and Senate, and then signed into law by the president, George H. W. Bush. Over twenty-five years have passed since the ADA became the legal standard for accessibility, but the goal of the ADA -- creating equal access for people with disabilities -- has yet to come to fruition. The ADA addresses the topic of bathrooms and provides a set of regulations that are required to be met. However, these standards are poorly regulated, leaving bathroom accessibility to the discretion of ignorant people. This can mean that pathways leading to the accessible bathroom can be blocked, or even if all pathways are clear, there may not be an accessible stall at all. And, even if the bathroom is completely up to ADA standard, there only needs to be one. This often means that the stall is full, or if it is out of order, there is no other option. Accessible stalls also make great makeshift storage closets (due to all the "extra" space); however, with stuff stored in the stall, it causes the stall to no longer be accessible. These are a handful of bathroom barriers faced by people with disabilities, and there are many others that we may run into when needing to use a public restroom.

The weekend before last, I ate breakfast at the Varsity Café in Seattle, Washington. I encountered a bathroom that could technically be considered ADA compliant, but with all the physical barriers in place, it was almost inaccessible to me (and would not have been if I had been using my power chair, or would not be to most who use a mobility aid). There were two pathways leading to the bathroom. The first pathway travels through the café. At the back of the café, the pathway becomes narrow; the pathway squishes between a booth and the back wall. The pathway is even more narrow than necessary due to equipment stacked up against the wall. This pathway would be ADA compliant if it was not for all the stuff; the pathway has an eighteen inch wide clearance, when it is required to have a thirty-six inch wide clearance (the width is only half of what is required). Past the skinny path, there is a door; through that door, there is a hallway that leads to the bathrooms. The second pathway also leads to that same hallway; however, traveling this pathway involves exiting the café, following the sidewalk for a portion of the block, and reentering the building through a different set of doors. This pathway could also be completely ADA accessible, but was not, simply because the doors were locked. Two simple fixes, for two potentially accessible pathways to the bathrooms; fixing either would suffice, and fixing either would be relativity inexpensive. These are the barriers that are most concerning to me; when there is an inexpensive barrier that is simply there due to sheer ignorance and not a cost, there is no reason for the barrier to exist, and it should be removed.

When entering the bathroom, I encountered more barriers. In the "accessible" stall, the changing table is freestanding (it does not fold out from the wall), and there was a shop-vac in the middle of the floor; the stall is the correct size, however, with the changing table and the shop-vac, the floor space that is required to maneuver is no longer met. If I would have been using my power chair, I would have not been able to fit in the "accessible" stall; I was "fortunately" using my manual chair (which is smaller than the average mobility aid), so I could squish in the stall -- along side the changing table and the shop-vac -- and use the bathroom. Removing the shop-vac would be an easy fix (as it does not need to be stored in the bathroom stall). However, removing the changing table would not be as easy of a fix, as I understand there needs to be a changing table -- just like there needs to be a proper amount of maneuvering space in the bathroom -- and installing a changing table in the wall would be pricy. Never the less, this would be a way to both have a changing table and abide by the ADA.

Even though the ADA has been around for over twenty-five years, incidents like the barriers at the café are not uncommon. I have encountered bathroom barriers in many restaurants, universities, stores and other public places; physical barriers continue to prevent people with disabilities from accessing public restrooms. When I am out in the public and I am physically unable to access the bathroom when necessary, I am physically uncomfortable, and do not even have a choice to utilize the facilities.