Sick of changing diapers on the bathroom floor? Arizona lawmakers hear you

A bathroom floor. A park bench. The back of a pickup truck.

For nearly an hour Thursday, parents and caregivers recounted unsanitary and uncomfortable places they have had to change diapers when they couldn't find a changing table.

The stories they shared with lawmakers weren't limited to caring for babies. Those with older children with disabilities described an even more severe lack of adequate changing areas.

"It's reached a point where anytime we go out, the first question is 'Honey, do you want to go find out if the bathroom has a changing table that will fit him?'" said Raghu Srinivasan, the father of a 5-year-old expected to use diapers for life.

"If not … our options usually become: Do we take him out to the grass and change him in front of everybody, or do we walk back to our minivan and change him on the floor?"

A bill introduced by Rep. Richard Andrade, D-Glendale, aims to improve changing-table access throughout the state: With an amendment added by Rep. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, House Bill 2529 would require public entities to install at least one changing station suitable for babies and adults when building or overhauling a restroom.

"Originally, I was sponsoring a diaper-changing-table bill for babies, after hearing that constituents were having to put them on dirty bathroom floors," Andrade told The Republic.

"Then, I had the disability community approach me and I realized, this is an even bigger issue."

Lawmakers sympathize

Barto agreed, offering both the disability-related amendment and a chance for the bill to be heard in the House Health and Human Services Committee, which she chairs.

Though her amendment removed the private entities Andrade had initially included in the changing-table requirements, he said he was willing to compromise to make at least some progress on the issue this session.

ALLHANDS:Take it from a mom: Changing stations are long overdue

Indeed, Barto's amendment combined with the emotional testimonies shared at Thursday's hearing seemed to sway lawmakers from both parties.

As they voted unanimously to advance the bill to the full House, legislators recalled their own struggles with small children.

"I remember back in the dark ages when my daughter was a baby, balancing her on my knees in the Kmart in a restroom, trying to change her diaper," said Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley, D-Tucson.

Barto, who has three daughters, similarly said encountering a bathroom with no spot to change a diaper "was awful, especially when they're brand new and so precious."

Supporters: Benefits outweigh costs

Other lawmakers acknowledged they'd never thought about the changing-table needs of those with disabilities.

"It is so important, and so many of us never think about that," said Rep. Jay Lawrence, R-Scottsdale. "I really thank you for the bill and those of you that have appeared today to open the eyes of many of us, me in particular."

Basic changing tables for babies can cost as little as $150-200, with varying installation costs. Stand-alone changing tables made to accommodate adults start at about $300, while wall-mounted models are pricier — at least $2,000.

But supporters of the bill argued the importance of protecting privacy and dignity more than justifies the expense.

"There's a hook on the back of the bathroom stall (door), and I hang my purse there…because the thought of putting it on the floor is disgusting to me," said Jeanette Elam, a Tucson-area resident who drove to Phoenix in the early-morning hours to speak. 

"So, the thought of someone having to put their child on the floor in order to take care of a basic human need is just incomprehensible to me."

Reach the reporter at maria.polletta@arizonarepublic.com or 602-653-6807. Follow her on Twitter @mpolletta.

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