wheelchair accessible restroom

[JudithM]

One of the teachers just returned to school today. Her daughter brings her & her wheelchair to school. I watched as this teacher tried to get into the restroom in the teacher's workroom. Her wheelchair was wider than the doorway. So I offered to take her down to the main office to use a restroom there. She went forward into the restroom, & she asked me to close the door. Now the problem ... how to get out? there was barely enough room for her to wheel into the restroo, but certainly not enough space to turn around, open the door herself & get out. I mentioned that she needs to talk to the principal. She is frustrated with that idea since the principal does not think she should be back teaching from the wheelchair. She has already talked to her union rep. I'm curious what some of you think.

 

[SueM in MN]

Un-accessible restrooms are one of my big pet peaves. I don't see how the principal can get out of providing her with a restroom to use.
They will probably need to do some work to the restrooms to make them even somewhat accessible. It is possible to widen a doorway. It might mean moving some electrical outlets, but it can be done. If the doors open in, it might make enough room for her to use the restroom if they swith them to swing out.
Also, if your school district has an OT and/or PT that they work with, they would be the experts of what can be done to make things more accessible.

 

[lisapooh]

The school should have accessible restrooms. If the principal will not do something to provide them then the teacher will have to go to the union.
As long as the teacher has medical clearance from her doctor to work the principal has no say in the matter! ADA requires that accommodations be provided. We have a teacher at our school who has a trach and was tube fed (now off that) She taught as soon as her doctor said she was able. The school has provided the special equipment necesssary for her to continue teaching. We have several handicapped teachers at our school and there is no problem.

 

[JudithM]

Sue & Lisa, thanks for the replies. I knew I'd get "supportive" comments on this board . I am glad she is taking this up with the teacher's union. Someone else said they think there is a handicapped stall in the student's bathroom, & she could use that. I don't know about anyone else, but I rarely use the student's restrooms for many reasons.

 

[lisapooh]

Neither does anyone else with good sense. Actually we use one in the therapy rooms which is huge and very accessible. An occasional child uses it but under supervison so it is always clean.

 

[Alaska]

Lisapooh

Hearing about the teacher with a trach and the accomodations your school has made were just the shot in the arm I needed. Thanks.

Our son has a tracheostomy and is tube-fed, due to muscle weakness caused by his neuromuscular disorder. His cognitive abilities are not affected by his neuromuscular disorder. However, we have been through pure hell this last week convincing the school district that he needs to be delivered to school by the time school starts. They gave us a zone exemption because our neighborhood school was not very accessible and a nearby school could provide accessiblity and services to our son and was familiar with him because he attended special ed preschool there. We accepted the zone exemption with enthusiasm because it seemed like a win-win situation for all. However, this year our son's bus pick up time is the same time that school starts. The school district has decided to take the position that because our zone exemption was a voluntary zone exemption, they don't even have to provide busing, so we should accept that our son is getting to school 1.5 hours late. Luckily busing is in his I.E.P.

Anyway. I hate to say it, but I think that they figured it would not matter to him if he missed school because they figure that given the level of his physical disability he must be so out of it that missing some school every day would not be any big deal. That is the type of ignorance our son faces every day. I am so very encouraged by hearing that a teacher who has received a trach has returned to her classroom. I hope it is going well for her.