An May 4, 2016 reports on聽a GottaGo! study, completed by Masters of Social Work students from 杏吧原创 University, that has found City of Ottawa public bathrooms聽wanting.
Over the course of this year, a group of聽social work grad students partnered with GottaGo! to reviewing the 聽availability, accessibility and quality of 92 city-owned and operated public toilets. The study revealed that:
“Almost half of the toilets surveyed (45 per cent) were unavailable, either due to seasonal or daily closures, even though the assessments were conducted during standard operating hours on weekdays and weekends.
And a majority of public toilets (63 per cent) that are deemed to be 鈥渨heelchair accessible鈥� pose at least one accessibility barrier to people with mobility challenges. Some didn鈥檛 have grab bars or toilets that were tall enough for people to easily transfer to and from their wheelchairs, while others have stall doors that aren鈥檛 equipped with an automatic door opener or push bar. The researchers concluded that these shortcomings reinforce the discrepancies that exist between bathrooms designated to be 鈥渨heelchair accessible鈥� and their actual functional accessibility for people using mobility devices.”
To find out more,聽
One of the Masters students involved in the study also participated in an interview with CBC on the issue on May 5, 2016. or !