When Huntsville resident June Wilson plans family outings, she has to consider her young son Lorde’s bathroom needs and where she’ll change his pull-up diaper.
Lorde is 4 and has disabilities that have delayed toilet training. He no longer safely fits on the restroom changing tables meant for babies.
“For most people, they go to work or they go out and they’re not thinking about where they’ll go to the restroom,” Wilson told Alabama Daily News.
That’s not the case for Wilson anymore, or other families with members whose personal care needs require assistance.
Change of plans
The Wilson family has cut short or skipped altogether events that would require taking Lorde back to their vehicle to change him in what might be a crowded parking lot. Or maybe worse, on the dirty floor of a public restroom.
Wilson is one of the advocates behind Senate Bill 83, which would require new public buildings to have powered, height-adjustable, adult-sized changing tables in family restrooms.
The bill was approved in an Alabama Senate committee Wednesday morning and now advances to the Senate. It is sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, who Wilson approached last year.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Mary Sell and originally published by Alabama Daily News. It is reprinted with permission.
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