What is a Universal Changing Place?
Conceptual Rendering – Universal Changing Place Restroom
A Universal Changing Place is a Family/Companion Care Restroom designed for individuals who cannot safely or comfortably use a standard accessible restroom.
At the heart of the room is a powered height-adjustable adult changing table, with a minimum changing surface of 30" x 70". The room also includes the accessible features expected in an ADA-compliant restroom, including an accessible toilet and grab bars, lavatory, waste receptacle, hand-drying options, and adequate maneuvering space.
Universal Changing Places recommends planning the room around the required clearances for each fixture and element (ANSI Standard A117.1-2023, Section 613), with additional space encouraged whenever possible. These rooms provide a safer, more dignified option for individuals who need assistance with personal care while away from home.
Inspired by Changing Places UK
Universal Changing Places was inspired by the Changing Places movement in the United Kingdom.
When Greyson and I discovered Changing Places, we found a movement advocating for something we knew was desperately needed here in the United States: public restrooms designed for people who require more space, specialized equipment, and assistance from a care provider.
The Changing Places campaign officially launched in the United Kingdom in 2006 and has helped spark an international movement focused on dignity, safety, and greater access to everyday community life.
Their work inspired Greyson and me to begin advocating for more accessible restroom facilities here in the United States, while adapting the concept to the American restroom environment.
Who Needs Them — Why They Matter!
Universal Changing Places provide the space, equipment, privacy, and dignity
needed to make communities more inclusive for everyone.
A restroom should never determine whether
someone can participate in everyday life.
The DREAM — Where Do We Go From Here?
A Universal Changing Place can meet an immediate need today. But we believe accessible restroom design can go even further.
Our vision for the future is a fully inclusive Family/Companion Care Restroom designed not only around accessibility requirements, but around the real-world needs of the individual and the care providers assisting them.
The Dream includes:
- A track hoist that supports safer transfers throughout the room, reducing the need for manual lifting and helping protect both the individual and their care providers.
- A powered height-adjustable sink that can be positioned at a comfortable and usable height for people with different mobility needs.
- A peninsular toilet with drop-down support rails, providing access from either side and additional room for care providers to assist when needed.
- A privacy screen to provide greater dignity and privacy when an individual requires personal assistance.
- A wide sanitary paper roll located near the adult changing table, providing a clean disposable surface for each user.
- Generous maneuvering and transfer space designed to accommodate the individual, their mobility device, and the care providers who may be assisting them.
- An emergency assistance call system with accessible activation points near the toilet, changing table, and floor level, allowing individuals or care providers to summon help when needed.
- Thoughtful sensory features, including automatic lighting and lower-noise fixtures, that can make the restroom more comfortable for people with sensory sensitivities.
This is the dream: to continue learning, improving, and reimagining what an accessible public restroom can be — creating spaces that support dignity, safety, privacy, and greater independence for everyone.
Making Public Restrooms MORE Accessible
Connect with Us
Email
ucplaces@gmail.com
☎ Phone
850-408-8586
©2026 Universal Changing Places. All Rights Reserved.
©2026 Universal Changing Places.
All Rights Reserved.