Accessibility of Bathrooms: What Are the Implications and How is Gender Involved?
When discussing “accessible” bathrooms, it is often assumed that there is a communal bathroom, and then a separate bathroom for those with disabilities. In Longstreet-Means Hall freshman dormitory, there is a communal bathroom along with a separate, unisex bathroom marked “handicapped-accessible.” However, the communal bathroom is marked as “handicapped-accessible” as well. Both bathrooms are relatively accessible, (although there are many improvements that could be made), and this brings up the question of what the existence of the separate, single unisex implies. If both bathrooms are ADA-approved accessible, why are there two separate bathrooms? What are the positive and negative implications of creating a separate, unisex, bathroom that is also handicapped-accessible? By examining the accessibility of the Longstreet-Means communal and unisex bathrooms, the influence of gender on the bathroom structure becomes clear. Accessibility affects gender, and the existence of accessible communal and unisex bathrooms has important implications for the impact of the bathrooms on the users, especially those with disabilities.
Nancy Mairs begins in her piece, “On Being a Cripple,” with the description of her experience in a small bathroom stall, demonstrating the issues of the inaccessibility of bathrooms. “So many movements unbalanced me, and as I pulled the door open I fell over backward, landing fully clothed on the toilet seat” (Mairs, 1). The ability for a bathroom to be accessible is a necessity for all, especially for those who are disabled. The communal bathroom on the third floor of Longstreet-Means Hall is marked by the universal “blue wheelchair” indicating that is it handicapped-accessible. The bathroom is located in a wide hallway with a door that is wider than 35 inches wide (ADA Checklist). The door, which does not require much strength or energy to open, also adds to the accessibility of the room. The room has by four stalls, the last one handicapped-accessible (Biyani, 2013). The stall door is accessible to a chair user, but the handle of the door is small and could be difficult if one cannot use their fingers or has limited hand mobility. The toilet is seventeen inches high and is located within easy access of the toilet paper dispenser (ADA Checklist). Both bathrooms are defined as “accessible” by the ADA, and are accompanied by metal bars surrounding the stall making it easier to access. The flush knob on the toilet is low down and hard to reach, which makes the bathroom a bit less accessible (Biyani, 2013). he sinks are at a height accessible to chair users and provide plenty of room underneath for a chair to slide under. The soap dispensers are harder to reach because they involve reaching over the sink to access them, which could be hard for a chair user to do. As Ria Biyani stated in her own assessment of the accessibility of the LSM bathroom, the disability-accessible shower is very wide and has a flat surface. This makes it easy to access, allowing people with all methods of transportation equal access. The flat surface eliminates trip hazards and barriers that could prevent one from accessing the shower . The curtains are easy to maneuver around and provide a very accessible shower. Overall, the communal bathroom is very accessible to variety of disabilities and can generally be considered a viable option for those with disabilities.
The second bathroom on the Longstreet-Means third floor that women can use is a unisex, handicapped-accessible, single stall bathroom. The width of the door is 35.8 inches, making it defined as accessible by the ADA (Paganelli, 2013). The room has a toilet, shower/bath tub, and a sink. The toilet is also accessible, (seventeen inches tall), but the sink provides several accessibility barriers. It is too high for someone sitting in a wheelchair to access, and the soap dispenser is also too high up to reach for anyone not at standing level (Paganelli, 2013). The shower is located in a tub, which holds potential problems for people with disabilities that affect their balance or have limited mobility of their legs. However, if a disabled person has the means and knowledge to transfer themselves correctly into the shower, it is a widely accessible space (Paganelli, 2013). The shower has a sitting area, railings, and a detachable showerhead, which all increase the accessibility of the space extensively. Although it has aspects that could be improved, this bathroom is relatively accessible for people with a wide range of disabilities.