The work day comes with its own challenges; the morning commute, finding parking, and the rush to the office. For someone in a wheelchair using the restroom at the workplace can become yet another challenge piled on top of all of the others.
Presently, I’ve either had to tough out the wait to have a BM until my return home (often waiting six or more hours), or would have to rush home midway through the day. As my girlfriend and I have been searching for houses, I’ve taken into consideration the potential hour long commute that comes with taking the bus system around most of Madison. Couple this with needing to return home mid-day to use the restroom, and I would face a potential total commute time of four hours per day. As this proves to not really be a viable option, and still leaves the challenge of those times where I have an unexpected need to use the restroom, I started considering other options. What I really need is one Adult Size Changing Table.
My first hope was that I could bring a spare hospital bed and spare patient lift to the office. However, the restrooms do not quite have ample space for this option. Furthermore, management would prefer that I have something collapsible, so it can easily be moved. I’m presently considering a folding massage table.
Upon doing some searching, I found an interesting solution that a UK based organization has been advocating. Changing Places has advocated for Changing Places Toilets. The proposal would not only have spacious bathrooms with accessible toilets and grab-bars, but a fold-down adjustable changing surface to adjust clothing before and after using the toilet. The proposal furthermore advocates for a hoist (whether a ceiling hoist or mobile hoist).
While I love this idea, and would be excited to see it more widely implemented, I face the reality at work that for the time being I may have to make due with bringing in my own hoist and trying the massage table approach, for now.
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