From Disability Scoop:
“Adult-Size Changing Tables Poised To Become More Available”
(Tram Nguyen carries her daughter, Sadie Sava from her
wheelchair to an adult changing table in a family bathroom at the Mall of
America in Bloomington, Minn. in March.)
Buildings in Ohio and other states could see the addition of
changing tables for adults with disabilities because of advocacy by the
Montgomery County Board of Developmental disabilities and a Huber Heights
mother. Universal changing tables are long benches that can be used to change
the clothing of a person who has mobility issues. Several are installed
throughout the Miami Valley, and that number will expand after the Montgomery
County Board of Developmental Disabilities was awarded $125,000 in federal
funds to put toward the project.
The International Code Council, a group that informs what
requirements buildings need to safely house or serve people, adopted a new
protocol surrounding changing tables following the expert testimony of Jennifer
Corcoran, of Huber Heights; leaders of the Montgomery County Board of
Developmental Disabilities and several caretakers of people with disabilities
in 2021. The council ruled that starting in 2024, construction for new “high
traffic” buildings with six or more male and female restrooms will be required
to include changing tables large enough for adults.
Each state can choose whether to adopt this requirement into
its building code. If they do, impacted buildings could include universities
and schools, libraries and businesses, among others. “We have no reason to
believe it won’t go into Ohio building code in 2024,” Corcoran said. These
universal changing tables are not currently required by the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA).
Corcoran serves as a program consultant for the Montgomery
County Board of Developmental Disabilities, and she leads two nonprofits geared
toward accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities. Corcoran said
she and her family made the decision early on that her son, Matthew, would not
miss out on life experiences due to his disability. Matthew, who is now 22,
uses a wheelchair and requires total care. “Full inclusion has been a major
goal for us,” she said. “We wanted him fully included in his community: he’s
just as important of a member as anyone else. But the lack of these tables has
been really the only stopper.” The Corcorans found that every outing needed to
be heavily planned: extra sets of clothing were packed, research about
resources at nearby buildings was made, necessary food and medication was
sorted and tucked away. There were days where fun events the family attended
were interrupted by Corcoran having to change her son in the back of the
family’s van. Corcoran sometimes, too, brought a portable massage table with
her to assist in the process. Neither of these options were ideal, and Corcoran
learned that her family was among many that make similar decisions during every
trip and appointment. Over the past several years, Matthew has had limited
travel beyond Columbus due to the lack of tables. Corcoran said that she’s
talked to some people who go without food and water when they’re away from home
because they’re unsure of where they can find a changing table large enough for
them. Others have their caretakers lay down a blanket or towel on the bathroom
floor to change them. Still others are left soiled. “It leaves them no dignity,”
Corcoran said. “It’s just awful. They can stay home and be isolated, or go out
and be soiled, or not eat, or have no privacy.”
This addition to international building code came years after
Cocoran worked with lawmakers in the Ohio House and Senate to pass legislation
related to changing tables for adults. All four attempts failed. Regardless of
work through the International Code Council, changing tables will be coming to
nearly 30 of Ohio’s revamped highway rest areas starting in 2024, Corcoran said.
Corcoran’s connection to the International Code Council came through her
county’s board of developmental disabilities. Supt. Dr. Pamela Combs, assistant
supt. Kamarr Gage and clinical psychologist Dr. Scott Kidd also presented
expert testimony to the International Code Council in 2021, weighing in on the
importance of the tables to the council. The board sought and received American
Rescue Plan Act funding to purchase and install changing tables across the
county. Heading the project is Mitchell Snyder, provider relations director of
the Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Snyder said the
board is working with multiple locations to incorporate the tables into their
restrooms. These tables can cost $2,500 or more, depending on their functions
for height adjustments.
Dayton International Airport will be home to an adult changing
table, as will the Dayton Art Institute. Plans for tables at several other
Montgomery County locations are still in the works, Snyder said. The new Huber
Heights branch of Dayton Metro Library also has a changing table installed,
using its own funds rather than federal relief. The board also has its own
table that can be booked for no charge. This table is mobile and
height-adjustable, Snyder said. “This will have a huge impact on adults who are
out and about,” Snyder said.
^ Along with Adult-Sized Changing Tables we need to require
Family Restrooms (not just a Disabled Stall in a Men’s Room or a Women’s Room.)
For 8 years I was a Caregiver to a Family Member who was
Female and in a wheelchair and we went around the Unites States and the World.
Most places don’t have Adult-Sized Changing Tables or Family Restrooms so it
was extremely hard for me (a Man) to help her (a Woman.) I always found a way,
but it shouldn’t be so difficult. ^
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