Foundation's Legislative Work
Accessible Restrooms
It is helpful to know where accessible restrooms are in public. We have created an interactive map of gender neutral and family restrooms throughout the country. The map has color-coded pins, representing non-gender specific restrooms, family restrooms, and family restrooms with adult-sized changing tables. Click on a pin to find the address of an accessible restroom, as well as additional information about that location. As you discover single occupancy restrooms in your community, pin them so others will know. This map will benefit people as they travel through the country, as well as throughout their communities. Restroom needs should not limit people from living their lives as they desire.
Thank you to David Nykodym for creating this map for us!
Accessible restrooms in public places are a basic need. While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), passed in 1990, addresses some requirements for bathrooms, these do not cover all the needs for some individuals. The wide stalls are not always wide enough to easily navigate. It is challenging when a person who needs assistance has a caregiver of the opposite gender, or when a caregiver is a person with a disability. Larger children and adults who need to be changed lack privacy and changing places in regular bathrooms. No one should have to lie on the floor of a public restroom to be changed. We would like to see more family restrooms, as well as Universal Changing Stations, in public places.
A larger stall is nice, but it lacks privacy and doesn't meet the needs of many people with disabilities.
While some states are legislating Universal Changing Stations in large, public places, Missouri cannot currently do this. Building codes are set locally, not by the state. We are trying to bring attention to this need. Representative Martha Stevens has been working with us to explore ways we can address this issue. Her office has been a great help, offering some strategies which they will implement in the near future.
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In the meantime, we have been writing letters and encouraging new buildings to incorporate truly accessible bathrooms into their plans. Most recently, in February 2018, the Missouri State Capitol put a family restroom in their building, complete with an adult-sized table. We have also been working with the planning team of the Columbia Farmer's Market location to build a family restroom in their new complex.
We had a chance to get a sneak peek of the bathroom construction in the Capitol and thank the workers for making an accessible bathroom.
The bathroom in the Capitol is very spacious and has a table large enough for adults.