Occasionally when we think about making improvements to accessibility, we often think of large renovation projects that can cost a lot of money. However, I wanted to share a story with you of how a small change made a big improvement in the accessibility of a washroom, and how utilizing the perspective of people with disabilities may prevent these small issues from occurring.
I attended a conference at a hotel recently, and when going to access the washroom, I noticed a familiar problem: the door of the accessible stall swung into the stall instead of outside of the stall. While this is a small detail, it inhibits someone using a mobility device from being able to close the stall door. In turn, it means that the stall is not useable for its intended purpose, or a person with a mobility aid would need to use the washroom with the stall door wide open.
After sharing this feedback with the hotel management, another person attending the conference overheard the issue. What was the solution to fix this issue? Unscrew the latch, open the door fully, and reinstall the latch facing the opposite direction. Unknowingly to me, the conference attendee has tools with him and took it upon himself to adjust the door. Shortly later, he shared this information with me, and just like that, I was able to utilize the bathroom in private again.
This story presents two lessons in accessibility. First, sometime changes to make something accessible can be done quickly and for no cost. In this case, it took under 10 minutes and a screwdriver to be able to make the space accessible again. But the second lesson shows the importance of obtaining feedback from users of the space. While we design spaces with the intention of being accessible, sometimes errors prevent that goal from happening. If we can involve those perspectives throughout a project or renovation, we can make the right decisions from the start.
Are you interested in receiving feedback on your space? We would love to connect with you!