I wish more facilities considered accessibility and privacy
When restrooms aren't accessible, traveling with a 'road crew' helps
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A few years ago, my wife, Wendy, and I took a mini-vacation to Philadelphia with my brother Ron, his wife, Judy, my brother Tim, and his wife, Diane. Ron, Tim, and I had visited relatives there on a regular basis growing up, so we cruised around the old neighborhoods where aunts and uncles used to live. We shared some great old memories as we drove through Philly, then had an enjoyable dinner and caught up with my cousins.
We also visited historic sites in Philadelphia, where our country was born, and saw a wonderful production of “Mamma Mia!”
I used a wheelchair, as my facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) wouldn’t allow me to do much walking, but Ron, Tim, Judy, and Diane were available to lend Wendy a hand pushing me as needed. Having their help made the trip much more enjoyable. Although I was walking well enough at the time and had the mobility training required for a blind person to navigate restrooms independently, Ron and Tim were available to lend me an elbow if I needed it.
We had a wonderful time and decided that we wanted to do more traveling together. Those plans were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We decided earlier this year that we’d take a trip in 2024, settling on the Harrisburg and Lancaster area in Pennsylvania as our destination. We found a few days in July that worked for everybody.
The trip went well, although we had to work around the weather, as temperatures were in the upper 90s. We skipped a couple outdoor activities, such as a walk through Hershey Gardens, because of the heat, but still managed to have a great time.
A couple issues cropped up, though. Something was catching on my wheelchair, which made it difficult to unfold. Eventually, Tim, the mechanic in our family, figured out what was causing the problem and got it fixed.
Diane is recovering more slowly from foot surgery than she expected, so she was using a scooter to get around. Her scooter had battery issues, possibly due to the extreme heat. Tim came through again, keeping the scooter going.
At times we had to park quite a distance from a site we wanted to see. I was especially concerned for Ron, who insisted on pushing my wheelchair when we had to go a distance. Ron does a lot of walking and keeps himself in excellent shape. He proved that on the trip, pushing me through the heat.
Our hotel accommodations were excellent. Wendy and I had a room that was fully accessible, including a walk-in shower that was wonderful to use after a hot day of touring.
My only disappointment on the trip had to do with bathrooms.
The struggle to find accessible restrooms
In addition to FSHD, blindness, and accident-damaged joints, I struggle with OMBS, which stands for “old man bladder syndrome.” I don’t think this is an actual medical diagnosis, but perhaps it should be. Over the course of four days, I needed to use restrooms at quite a few of the sites and restaurants we visited.
Sadly, many of these facilities had poor excuses for accessible restrooms. Doorways almost always required a team effort, with Tim holding doors and Ron manhandling my wheelchair through.
Most of the time, the “handicapped” stall was just a slightly wider version of a standard stall with grab bars added. I couldn’t close the stall door unless one of my brothers removed the wheelchair. I like to keep my wheelchair close. Grab bars are often too high for me to use effectively, so I position the wheelchair so I can use it to get on my feet. I ended up surrendering privacy to ensure I could stand up after using the facilities.
The one exception to this sad state of affairs was the restroom at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg. This facility had an accessible stall with sufficient room to turn the wheelchair around. Ron was able to wheel me into the stall and I could close the door and enjoy a little privacy.
Somehow, it doesn’t seem like privacy in the restroom should be a luxury. That being said, most of the restaurants and tourist sites we visited were built long before the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted in 1990. In many cases, there simply isn’t adequate space in the restrooms to allow for a proper accessible stall.
Personally, I’d like to see more facilities forgo the entire “men’s room/ladies’ room” concept and consider putting in one or two accessible family restrooms instead. When Wendy and I are out and about, just the two of us, it would be wonderful to have her wheel me into the bathroom, then step out while I take care of business.
Accessibility and privacy — what a concept!
Note: Muscular Dystrophy News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Muscular Dystrophy News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to muscular dystrophy.
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Comments
Virginia Plihcik
Great article! I have also used the bathroom at the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum. Restrooms are a huge issue! I am in a power wheelchair. I always have to ask the venue if the stall is large enough for me to put my wheelchair next to the toilet.
Helen Cave
Thanks for sharing your experiences in this article. I am currently using a rollator (soon to be getting a power w/c) and I'm becoming much more aware of the location, accessibility, and functionality of washrooms. Few check all the boxes that we need----either the door is heavy to access or the toilet is too low or the soap dispenser is too high or far back to reach easily etc etc. Today I attended an accessibility workshop session (it was very good) that was held in a new building. Lo and behold the washroom set up was good (well the soap dispenser could have been positioned a bit lower) AND the heavy door had an automatic door opener on both the entry & exit sides!! What a bonus!
Actually the whole building was lovely. It is set in a municipal park with adjacent parking, a level entry, large hallways, lots of windows and good lighting. The large meeting room looked out on an ocean inlet! A great example of a new building with up to date accessibility features.
Contrast that with another new building in our town that houses a medical lab and a dental office. The lab door itself had two automatic door openers on both the inside and outdoor sides of the door frame. One was at regular hand level and the other was low down that could be pressed by using one's foot. However, parking was very limited and the curb access was at the end of the block. Getting to the front door of the lab was quite problematic due to someone designing a step down from the sidewalk to a lower walkway. Apparently some people (not realizing there was a step down) have done face planks onto the lower sidewalk with subsequent injuries / ambulance rides to the hospital.