Assignment 2.3 (Access and Intimate Necessities)

I analyzed the second floor non-handicap men’s bathroom in Evans Hall. To start, the location is centralized from the male bedrooms, however, both the handicap and non-handicap bathroom are much closer to the stairs than the elevator. This becomes a problem for people that need to use the elevator. The dimensions of the door are very wide at 36 inches, which are four more than the standard. When inside the bathroom, some things become less accessible for chair users or little people. Two of the three stalls are ten inches less than the ADA standard of 32 inches for width of a stall. The middle stall used as a handicap stall, has all of the standards though. The height of the counter is 2 inches higher than the standard of 34 inches making this that much more difficult for someone who struggles with height due to a disability. The soap dispenser has similar height issues since it doesn’t meet the standard either. Alarms and light switches are very easy to find making it more accessible for someone visually or aurally impaired. Some other issues I find with the bathroom are a step when entering the shower, and tile floors with deep grooves. These are features that can discourage some people with disabilities from using the bathroom. The positives though outweigh the negatives, with a handle door opener, wide walls and showers, and automatic lights, and sinks. Overall, it is mostly universal, however some may choose to go two doors down and use the handicap accessible bathroom to be more comfortable.