Adult Changing Tables Will Be Required for New Public Bathrooms in Minnesota

A new law passed by the Minnesota Legislature and signed by the state’s governor will require any new, large public building to be built with adult-size, or universal, changing tables in public restrooms.

The mandate comes after a years-long push from Minnesota disability advocates who have urged lawmakers to make public spaces more accessible to older children and adults who are unable to use toilets because of their disabilities. 

One of those advocates, Tram Nguyen, joined the campaign on behalf of her 7-year-old daughter, Sadie, who has a chromosomal abnormality that requires that she wear diapers.

Nguyen told the Star Tribune in March, before the legislation passed, that she was fed up with trying to change her daughter on the “disgusting” floor of public bathrooms. 

"My daughter needs to get out in the community, and not having a safe, private place to change her diapers is a major obstacle,” Nguyen told the paper. 

Other people involved in the successful campaign included Linda Hood, a former marathon runner and mountain climber who became paraplegic in 2018 from a rare autoimmune disease.

She joined with Sarah St. Louis, another mother of a disabled child, to convince two state lawmakers -- also mothers themselves -- to sign onto the legislation, according to WCCO. The bill passed by a single vote and was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz this week. 

"We brought human dignity to Minnesota, finally," St. Louis told WCCO. 

Hood said that their success could be a blueprint for parents and disability advocates in other states.

Last year, two Ohio moms teamed up to create a national campaign called Changing Spaces that now has chapters in 15 states, seeking to mandate more inclusive changing tables for larger children and adults with disabilities.

The Minnesota law will go into effect in January for new buildings and public spaces, and will provide financial incentives for existing buildings to update their facilities.