Let's right our restrooms for all

July 29--Spare me some more potty talk about the Americans with Disabilities Act and the ensuing mandated access to restrooms.

I received several comments from readers after last Wednesday's column on the need for able-bodied people to respect, and avoid using, restrooms and parking spots reserved for people with disabilities, and was surprised to learn from A.G. Lynch that many so-called handicapped-equipped restrooms aren't actually usable.

"Some restrooms, especially in restaurants, have grab bars but regular, low toilets," he emailed. And among the better-equipped ones, many are chair height versus the disability standard of a "crucial" 2 inches higher, he said.

"People with bad hips or knees need to come down on their feet, not leverage up with their knees and hips," Lynch said. "I am slightly under average height, yet I cannot use many handicapped restrooms -- even those at older Walmart stores," he said.

Lynch said it would help in shifting the center of balance forward before standing -- if the grab bar extended farther in front of the toilet, instead of reaching clear back to the wall behind.

Ironically, medical facilities -- even new ones -- have some of the worst restrooms, Lynch said. He once canceled an elective surgery because the newly remodeled floor where he would've recovered lacked restrooms equipped for people with disabilities.

Joe Theige, a 57-year-old visual database modeler for military flight simulators, agrees and advocates for all restrooms to be accessible and universally designed.

"There is no reason that things have to look ugly just because they are accessible," said Theige, who was injured in an auto accident 38 years ago. "There are ways to make ramps disguised to fit in with the surrounding architecture," he said, noting he knows many able-bodied people who prefer ramps to stairs.

"As far as restrooms, the worst are at airports when you are in a time crunch and the stalls are occupado," he said. "I've had to make the decision: Can I make it to my destination, or should I miss my flight?"

Karen Barton, of Edmond, reminded me that her uncle Hugo Deffner, who contracted polio at age 20 in 1908, spearheaded many of the early access improvements made in Oklahoma City.

"Articles ran in the Oklahoma City Times and other other publications regarding his 'down-with-steps' crusade," Barton said. St. Luke's Methodist Church, the Central YMCA, Northwest Classen High School, the public library and several other buildings consequently were constructed with entrances at street level, she said.

President Dwight Eisenhower presented Deffner with a trophy for being the "Handicapped Man of the Year" on May 23, 1957, Barton said. Deffner died three years later.

I say let's start a new crusade for universally designed bathrooms for all!

One in six Oklahomans -- or 594,417 of us -- are disabled, including 167,600 who can't walk on their own. Meanwhile, I and hundreds of other baby boomers are aging by the day.

Let's invest in our future. Let's right our restrooms now.

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