Universal changing tables campaign stalls in Wisconsin

Milwaukee - It's a matter of human dignity. That's what one Wisconsin lawmaker says about efforts to install adult-sized changing tables in public restrooms.

The nationwide effort is gaining traction in some Midwestern states, but advocates say progress in Wisconsin has been slow. 

For Sarah Knowles, it's more than a campaign - it's a humbling reality. Every time she leaves the house with her son, Matthew, an invisible clock is ticking.

"Before you even set off you feel it," Knowles said.

Matthew has cerebral palsy and a rare chromosomal disorder. Because of that, he cannot control when he goes to the bathroom.

"We pretty much stopped going anywhere if there’s nowhere to change him," Knowles said.

And that makes every family outing a roll of the dice.

"Is it worth it?" Knowles asked. "20 minutes later, we're going home."

The Milwaukee County Zoo is among a handful of places they can go without fear, because the Zoo installed a changing table strong enough to hold a 440-pound adult by turning an old first aid station into a private, family restroom.

"We are walking the talk when we say the zoo is truly inclusive for all," said Kimberly Graves, communications coordinator for the Zoo.

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It is one of nearly two dozen places across Wisconsin that now offer adult-sized changing tables in family restrooms.

"It is life-changing," said Knowles, who leads the Wisconsin chapter of Changing Spaces, a national campaign with organized advocacy efforts in 28 states.

"I think the table is sort of the last brick in the wall of making things truly inclusive," Knowles said.

When Matthew was a boy, Knowles said it was easier.

"Once you've outgrown a baby changing table, it becomes so much more difficult," Knowles said.

Matthew is now a 25-year-old man, making his options considerably more limited. The typical 2-year-old is about 25 to 30 pounds. Matthew weighs 105 pounds – the equivalent of four toddlers. 

"Me on my own, there’s no way that I can lift him this high," Knowles said.

And that's why Knowles said a proper changing table needs to be height-adjustable.

"A table that goes up and down," Knowles said, "we can get it all the way down to the wheelchair."

"If it's not adjustable, don't do it," said Brittany Larson, executive director of the Muskego Public Library, which installed a new private, family restroom with a universal changing table earlier this year.

"It was humbling at first because I had never thought about that need," Larson said, "and libraries pride themselves on thinking we're accessible."

Larson learned of Knowles' campaign just as she was planning a major renovation.

"I went to the library board and I said, 'This is the perfect time. There's no better time to do it than now.' And they approved it into the strategic plan."

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The biggest obstacle, of course, was funding.

The tables alone can cost from a few thousand dollars up to ten thousand dollars each. That's not to mention the cost of electrical service and a door-assist button.

Larson says she could not have pulled it off without the support of the library system, the mayor and the Muskego Common Council.

"It took all of those groups," Larson said, "all of those entities valuing accessibility, valuing the library, in order to get what we have here today."

Voluntary efforts like hers have led to universal changing tables at Mitchell International Airport, Discovery World, Summerfest, State Fair Park, and now, every major sports arena in Wisconsin – including Lambeau Field, American Family Field, Fiserv Forum and UWM Panther Arena. There's even a new table at the Wisconsin State Capitol, but a broader effort to make the tables standard equipment in Wisconsin has stalled.

"I think it’s a mandate thing," Knowles said. "It’s unpopular to force somebody to do something like this."

Representative Robyn Vining and State Senator (now Dane County Executive) Melissa Agard have tried to require universal changing stations in newly constructed high-capacity buildings that serve at least 3-thousand people per day – from shopping centers and museums to schools and government buildings.

"I think that it's vitally important that we, as a society, meet those needs," Agard said.

They introduced bills in 2019, 2021 and 2023 – three straight legislative sessions – but the bills went nowhere.

"What's standing in the way of this in Wisconsin?" Polcyn asked.

"I think oftentimes partisan gridlock gets in the way," Agard said.

Democrats introduced the bills, while Republicans - who control the legislature - took no action.

"We’ve never been able to get as far as a hearing," Knowles said.

In Ohio, it's a different story.

"The Republicans are supporting it," said Jennifer Corcoran, mother of a disabled adult son and leader of Ohio's chapter of Changing Spaces.

In her state, Republican Governor Mike DeWine launched what's become the nation's most successful grant program for universal changing tables, the results of which are evident in a map on the Changing Spaces website.

Corcoran uses the map the way an electric vehicle owner might use a map of charging stations.

"I get out the map [and think "Where could I stop so that we could use the restroom?" Corcoran said.

Instead of mandating the tables, Corcoran says Ohio set aside $4.4 million dollars in Covid-19 relief funds for voluntary installations.

That has prompted a gold rush of new installations in the Buckeye State, including tables at every Ohio rest stop. There's also a 24-foot, double-wide trailer that serves as a mobile changing station.

"Thi is a trailer that we will take to functions, community functions free of charge," Corcoran said," so that they can be available for festivals, fairs, car shows, you know you name it."

But Corcoran isn't stopping there.

"The ultimate goal is they’re everywhere there’s restrooms," Corcoran said.

Last year, Corcoran successfully lobbied to have universal changing tables added to the 2024 International Building Code.

"It took us 3 years to write that code," Corcoran said, noting Ohio has already adopted the new code.

Wisconsin is still operating on building code regulations from 2015.

"So that makes it problematical for me to get tables in new buildings," Knowles said, "which would be really easy if we just adopted the code."

Knowles wants to replicate Ohio's success here.

"I really, really want to get a grant program in place," Knowles said.

Nine years since she started the campaign, she and her colleagues know they are playing a long game. Corcoran recalls a specific talk she had with her son.

"I said, 'Buddy, we are not going to live in this accessible world. It's going to be beyond us. But we're going to fight for it the entire time that we're here.'"

Knowles believes it is a matter of time.

"I do think in the future, it will just be seen as like, ‘I don’t know what all the fuss was around it.’" Knowles said. "It will be just like a ramp. Like an elevator."

Until then, they plan to keep changing the world one restroom at a time.

Republican lawmakers who declined to call the changing table bills for a hearing did not respond to FOX6 Investigators' requests for an interview.

Neither did the NAIOP, an organization of commercial developers that registered as neutral on the bills. The Wisconsinn Realtors Association also registered as neutral, but declined our request for an interview.

Construction will begin December 19, 2024, on a new adult-sized changing station at Independence First in Walker's Point. It's an independent living organization that supports individuals with disabilities. Funding for the changing table and associated family restroom is coming from WISPACT and the Reeve Foundation. Independence First hopes the new universal changing station will be open and available for public use early in 2025.