Companion Bathroom Locations At WDW Resorts - Updated Per Disney 25-AUG-2011

[SueM in MN]

Just so there are no misunderstandings, I want to point out that there is NO requirement for Companion Restrooms to be provided under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). The exception is situations where restrooms are too small to have space for an accessible stall inside the men's and ladies rooms.
Although it would be nice for WDW to have more facilities, they are providing way more than is required (since none are actually required at all).
I, personally wish they had more because my family does need them. They do have 100% more than they had when we started going to WDW with a wheelchair in the late 1980s. In fact, at that point, most of the wheelchair stalls in the restrooms w not large enough to get a wheelchair in, so DD and I often had to park her wheelchair in the stall doorway and leave the door open (thank goodness that in most cases, that stall was the farthest into the restroom. So, although there the is room for improvement, WDW has made a lot of progress in providing Companion Restrooms and is still adding them.

I was curious about Companion Restrooms at other Orlando area parks, so I did check:

• Universal Studio Orlando's website and found they only list 3 Companion Restrooms - 1 in First Aid in Universal Studio & Islands of Adventure and 1 at Family Services at Universal Studio. Their Rider's Guide for guests with disabilities lists one more at Islands off Adventure - so 2 in each park.
• Sea World has 7 listed in their downloadable guide for guests with disabilities (which would be roughly similar to WDW's availability)
• I was also curious about a local tourist attraction close to me -Mall of America. Although I know they have at least 2 Companion Restrooms because we have used them, they are not listed anywhere on the maps. I know they are labeled as Family Restrooms, so we are competing with families for use of em. When my DH was alone once with DD, he had a very unpleasant experience with a woman who did not want him going in there with DD and when DH came out, he found security waiting with the woman to greet him!

This is a link to the comments and commentary to the 2010 ADA design standards for building accessibility:

Toilet and Bathing Rooms.* Section 213 of the 2010 Standards sets out the scoping requirements for toilet and bathing rooms.

Commenters recommended that section 213, Toilet Facilities and Bathing Facilities, of the 2010 Standards include requirements that unisex toilet and bathing rooms be provided in certain facilities. These commenters suggested that unisex toilet and bathing rooms are most useful as companion care facilities.

Model plumbing and building codes require single-user (unisex or family) toilet facilities in certain occupancies, primarily assembly facilities, covered malls, and transportation facilities. These types of toilet rooms provide flexibility for persons needing privacy so that they can obtain assistance from family members or persons of the opposite sex. When these facilities are provided, both the 1991 Standards and 2010 Standards require that they be accessible. The 2010 Standards do not scope unisex toilet facilities because plumbing codes generally determine the number and type of plumbing fixtures to be provided in a particular occupancy and often determine whether an occupancy must provide separate sex facilities in addition to single-user facilities. However, the scoping at section 213.2.1 of the 2010 Standards coordinates with model plumbing and building code requirements which will permit a small toilet room with two water closets or one water closet and one urinal to be considered a single-user toilet room provided that the room has a privacy latch. In this way, a person needing assistance from a person of the opposite sex can lock the door to use the facility while temporarily inconveniencing only one other potential user. These provisions strike a reasonable balance and impose less impact on covered entities.

This is the part of the Model Plumbing Code referenced in the ADA comments:

2009 IPC 502.5 Public toilet facilities. Public toilet facilities shall be maintained in a safe sanitary and working condition in accordance with the International Plumbing Code. Except for periodic maintenance or cleaning, public access and use shall be provided to the toilet facilities at all times during occupancy of the premises

Family/assisted-use toilets provide inherent potty parity. Two Family/assisted-use toilets increase overall availability. A single gender based toilet can be unavailable for periods of up to 15 minutes when, for example, the current occupant is using it for companion care, to change diapers, or to change a colostomy bag. Less need for gender based cleaning staff. Less impact when one toilet room is being cleaned or serviced. For decades, males and females have used the same toilet facility on airliners.

2012 IPC 403.2.1 (IBC [P]2902.2.1) Family or assisted-use toilet facilities serving as separate facilities. Where a building or tenant space requires a separate toilet facility for each sex and each toilet facility is required to have only one water closet, two family/assisted-use toilet facilities shall be permitted to serve as the required separate facilities. Family or assisted-use toilet facilities shall not be required to be identified for exclusive use by either sex as required by Section 403.4.

This is from section 213 of the ADA design standards mentioned in the commentary above:

Advisory 213.2 Toilet Rooms and Bathing Rooms. These requirements allow the use of unisex (or single-user) toilet rooms in alterations when technical infeasibility can be demonstrated. Unisex toilet rooms benefit people who use opposite sex personal care assistants. For this reason, it is advantageous to install unisex toilet rooms in addition to accessible single-sex toilet rooms in new facilities.

Advisory 213.2 Toilet Rooms and Bathing Rooms Exceptions 3 and 4. A "cluster" is a group of toilet rooms proximate to one another. Generally, toilet rooms in a cluster are within sight of, or adjacent to, one another.

213.2.1 Unisex (Single-Use or Family) Toilet and Unisex Bathing Rooms. Unisex toilet rooms shall contain not more than one lavatory, and two water closets without urinals or one water closet and one urinal. Unisex bathing rooms shall contain one shower or one shower and one bathtub, one lavatory, and one water closet. Doors to unisex toilet rooms and unisex bathing rooms shall have privacy latches.

 

[jimofhaz]

I'm taking my Mother to WDW in Nov and have been researching companion restrooms at WDW and its resorts. Been a while since we've been at WDW, and this is the first time I will need to take her to companion restrooms, since she is now wheelchair-bound and cannot walk by herself. I found this thread which has been quite helpful. There have not been any new posts here for quite a while so am wondering if anyone might have any new information.

I found that Disney now has an interactive page on their website listing restrooms: disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/restrooms/
(I am a new user on Disboards and it won't let me post actual links).
Using this Disney page, it appears there are 2 new companion restrooms at the MK in the new Fantasyland area: Fantasyland Railroad Station, and Enchanted Forest (behind Gaston's Tavern).

Also, as for Disney resorts, it lists a companion restroom at Kidani Village (part of Animal Kingdom Lodge). However, it does NOT indicate that there is a companion restroom in the Polynesian Resort near Ohana, which has been documented as existing -- so this Disney restroom page may not be 100% accurate.

If anyone has any other new info regarding companion restrooms at WDW, please advise. Thanks

 

[AliceandAriel]

-Grand Floridian Resort
-----Second floor, left off the elevator on the lagoon side.

Can anyone tell me if this is still accurate?

 

[momimouse27]

Just wanted to pop in after reading and say a thanks for this thread...as a mom of an 11 yr old with ASD, it is getting odder every year to take my son into the restroom with me. I haven't had any ugly comments yet, but as he gets older it will be more difficult. He doesn't need me to use the restroom, but I don't really trust him to go in alone, and he has issues with soap so he needs help washing up.

It is very helpful to have a companion restroom. Even though dad/hubby is usually with us to take him, he is usually calmer with me