Pittsburgh-area mom pushing to bring more adult changing tables to public family restrooms

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    PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — One local mom is working to break down barriers and she’s finding inspiration from her 12-year-old son.

She’s bringing awareness to the need for universal changing tables in public family restrooms, and the latest one just landed in a popular spot.

Mom of three Christina Abernethy says her 12-year-old son Ethan lives with his autism every day, but one of the hardest issues facing her family involved something we all take for granted.

“One of the biggest issues that we face in public are public restrooms, and that’s because he does need assistance still in the restroom, and so when he needs assistance, there’s nowhere that is safe and private and dignified to change him,” she said.

As Ethan got older and bigger, she said her family got creative.

“We kept changing him on a beach towel on the public restroom floor, or we were changing him in the back of our car in public view, like in the trunk of our car, in the back of our SUV. And one year we got really creative during our beach vacation from here to North Carolina, and we brought a tent with us to put up the tent and change him in the tent because we didn’t want to lay him on the floor at a public highway rest stop.”

That’s why Abernethy started advocating for adult changing tables in family-style private restrooms. They’re much larger and sturdier than baby changing tables, and you can adjust the height for your loved one.

She’s proud of her work with the nationwide Changing Spaces Campaign, pushing to get these tables into popular spots.

“So places like the aviary, the MuseumLab, PNC Park, Pittsburgh International Airport — we were the seventh airport in the nation to get one, so kudos to us,” she said.

Changing Spaces doesn’t deal with the funding, that’s up to the large venues, but Darrell from MAX-Ability just donated a table to the Pittsburgh Zoo. Abernethy says the feedback is overwhelming — to see families celebrating and getting out of the house.

“I’m getting goosebumps. It makes me emotional because our family, we understand that, we understand what it’s like to be stuck at home, and if there’s anything that I think people can relate to more now than ever is after the pandemic, and everything was closed down, and we were all stuck at home. I think everybody knows what that feels like, and now people can empathize just a little bit more. But families who are still stuck at home when we are not making places inclusive and accessible for all people,” she said.

And she’s now setting even bigger goals.

“To get them in more large venues, any place that families are gonna spend a period of time, so whether that’s to see a football game, a baseball game, go to the zoo, travel with their family. Everyone deserves that, everyone deserves to make family memories together and not having loved ones stuck at home.”

Abernethy says she’s been trying to get ahold of the Steelers and leadership at Acrisure Stadium. That’s one of the venues in our area that’s yet to put in one of these tables, and she hopes by spreading the word through this story, they’ll see it and take action.

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