Everyone needs to use the bathroom at some point. Whether it is in the middle of a long road trip or after a day of shopping, people find commercial restrooms to be helpful spots.
However, for people with disabilities, using a commercial bathroom often isn’t as simple as walking in and going about their business. Far too frequently, people with disabilities encounter bathrooms they can’t access or stalls that don’t meet their needs.
Some businesses may be tempted to think that people with disabilities don’t use their bathrooms or even come to their buildings. However, with more than 1 in 4 adults in the United States having a disability, the occurrence is more likely than they think. More importantly, even if the number were much lower, everyone deserves to be able to use the bathroom in a dignified and safe manner.
There are many ways to help make a bathroom more disability friendly, both during construction and after. By making these changes a business can help make their bathroom into a great space for everyone.
Choose the Right Height for Fixtures
One of the things to consider before building and furnishing a bathroom is what height the fixtures should be. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations give instructions for the locations of multiple fixtures and accessories in a bathroom.
To be ADA compliant a toilet seat should be between 17 and 19 inches off the ground, allowing easy sitting. The rim of a sink should be a maximum of 34 inches from the floor to be ADA compliant.
When planning a restroom, it is helpful to consider these and other ADA-compliant measurements for all fixtures, not just those in compliant stalls. When there are multiple compliant fixtures, it is easier for people in wheelchairs to use the restroom. They don’t have to wait to use the sink situated at a suitable height if all the sinks are at that height. They don’t have to worry about where to store their belongings if shelves and coat hooks are within reach.
Add Adult Changing Tables
Another way to make bathrooms more disability-friendly is to consider those who may have alternative needs in the bathroom. Many ADA compliant stalls, particularly in women’s restrooms, include baby changing stations. These are great resources for babies and other small children, however, some adults with disabilities need similar stations.
Some people have disabilities that require them to lay down during their trip to the bathroom. Adult changing stations can come in the form of tables or wall-mounted pieces that are strong enough to hold several hundred pounds.
It is essential to keep in mind that if a business wants to include adult changing stations in their bathrooms, it must modify stall size according to ADA guidelines. These modifications will most likely involve having sufficient room to accommodate a toilet, the station, a wheelchair, and a caretaker, as well as the other accessories in a stall.
Adult changing stations even come at different price points allowing more businesses to provide them regardless of budget. By including an adult changing station a business can provide a more equal opportunity to use the bathroom with dignity.
Keep the Bathroom Clean
Keeping a clean space is a great way to make bathrooms more friendly for everyone. By preventing the spread of germs on surfaces like sinks, toilet handles, and partitions, businesses can do their part to reduce illnesses in their community, something that has been especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But another safety factor is cleaning up loose trash around the bathroom. This trash could be paper towels overflowing from a trash can or toilet paper left on the ground, or clogging a toilet. These loose pieces can constitute a tripping hazard for anybody. However, they can be particularly dangerous for those who cannot see the trash or are not very steady on their feet.
This step may seem simple. But cleaning a bathroom goes a long way towards making it safer for everyone and helping it look a lot better.
Place Signs
As discussed previously, bathrooms commonly only have one ADA compliant wheelchair accessible stall. This fact can make for a long wait for an accessible stall for a person with a disability. However, multiple factors can cause this wait to be much longer.
For one, these wheelchair-accessible stalls are also often the only ones with resources like baby changing stations. This means that families with small children often need to use this stall, sometimes for extended periods. Additionally, these stalls are more spacious than their counterparts, meaning they often tempt people without disabilities to use them even in an empty bathroom, taking up a space that a person with a disability needs.
It is important to note that disabilities are not always visible. A person should never be judged for using a wheelchair-accessible stall, even if they are not in a wheelchair or their disability is not immediately evident. Making comments about or to them is not the way to fix the problem.
However, bathroom owners can take steps to encourage people without disabilities to allow the stall to remain open for those with disabilities. One example is placing a sign on the stall door highlighting that it is intended for people with disabilities. Some people may not know that the reason the stall is larger is for a wheelchair. Posting a sign can help educate and encourage people without disabilities to leave the stall open.
As for baby changing stations, sometimes the only space for them in a bathroom is in an ADA compliant wheelchair accessible stall as they are often against a wall where one can be mounted. However, by creating multiple wheelchair-accessible stalls or finding another location for a changing station, this factor can be mitigated.
Conclusion
Everyone needs a bathroom from time to time and everyone deserves to have a space that is safe and comfortable to use. People with disabilities often find themselves without this space and are forced to wait or risk injuring themselves.
By taking a few steps to make their bathroom a more disability-friendly environment, people can greatly help this problem. Whether by picking up trash, posting a sign, or even designing a brand new bathroom, everyone can do their part to make the bathroom into a space open for all.