The Mother Of A Disabled Child Explains The Restroom Struggle You've Probably Never Heard Of

Sep 11, 2018 by apost team

There’s a problem with the bathrooms that you might have never heard of. No, it doesn’t involve the controversial topic of transgender rights to use the bathroom. In fact, it has nothing to do with the concept, which is why it hasn’t been discussed more. Imagine yourself out on the town, perhaps visiting a museum with your friend or going out to eat with your children. Then, the urge comes that you need to use the bathroom.

But the problem arises when you remember you’re in a wheelchair.

Sometimes they even have to lie their child on the floor in order to deal with their bathroom needs.

Even if the floor is clean, it’s still an unfortunate circumstance. It removes the dignity from the situation, and often times you can see into the stall floor from the rest of the bathroom. So why haven’t you heard about this problem? Because many people who are disabled or parents of disabled children avoid going out for this exact reason.

They are missing out on crucial parts of their life because of our inability to make bathrooms accommodating for them.

This could be no big deal, with doors that are automatic and handicapped stalls that are large enough to use, as well as the fact that your chair can fit by the sinks.

However, some wheelchair users are unable to use the restroom without laying down. This means that even if you fit your wheelchair into a stall, you might still be unable to maneuver yourself onto the toilet.

This phenomenon proves that just because a restroom is accessible, doesn’t mean it is necessarily accommodating for the person trying to use it.

apost.com

Currently, the United States has a population of around 3.3 million wheelchair users. Sometimes, these users need diapers, meaning that they would also need a changing table to accommodate their needs.

Currently, changing tables in the United States are only made to accommodate children and babies. Sometimes, you can find a family restroom that is large enough to get the job done, but disabled children often do not have the ability to get on top of the counter.

Many parents of disabled children have to deal with this inconvenience every single day.

The fact of the matter is, if you have a disability, there should absolutely be a way for you to use the bathroom at each and every place you go.

These are basic human rights that people who aren’t disabled never have to think twice about. Going to use the restroom in a peaceful, calm manner is something that no one should have to deal with not being able to do. In order to perfect our bathroom accommodations, single-stall bathrooms need to be created in each and every restroom that we have in America.

Larger stalls should also have special accommodations, such as changing tables that are large enough for adults to use.

Thankfully, there might be progress for the future and a hope for a more accommodating system. 

An organization called Changing Spaces has a mission to make bathrooms more accessible for wheelchair users that need to be changed.

Scope out the bathrooms at your local spots and make sure that the managers know that they aren’t accessible to some wheelchair users that need changing tables. 

Before reading this article, have you ever thought about accommodating wheelchair users in the bathroom? Will you help make a change? Let us know your thoughts!