DES MOINES COUNTY, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Transportation is midway through their four-year, $1 million plan that will install six adjustable adult changing tables at rest stops across Iowa.
Now, their efforts are bring recognized nationally. The Iowa DOT is being considered for the American Transportation Award with a grand prize of $10,000 to the charity of their choice.
Nancy Baker works with Changing Spaces Iowa, a disability advocacy group that's partnered with the Iowa DOT for this ongoing project. Baker said she believes in this mission since it hits close to home — these tables are a necessity for her son, Charlie.
Baker described her 8-year-old son is as a happy-go-lucky guy.
"Recently, his one-on-one associate wrote that he was running on the playground, he was chasing girls on the playground," Baker told Local 5.
Charlie lives with physical and intellectual disabilities, though this doesn't hold him back from staying involved.
"Charlie is just like all other kids, he wants to go to the zoo, he wants to visit the science center," Baker said.
For Charlie and his family, a trip to a fun destination doesn't come without challenges. As he grows, trips to the restroom can be more stressful for Charlie since there aren't always accommodations for him at these fun places.
"He had become very aware of the fact that he was too big for the infant changer. and he was scared. I knew he was scared, so, I started changing him in the car," Baker said. "But this is Iowa, and fall turns to winter, and the weather gets to be too cold."
That's when his family was faced with the worst option.
"Which is the dirty bathroom floor," Baker said.
Charlie's family and thousands of others will soon have more accessible bathroom options thanks to the Iowa DOT's plans to install six adjustable adult changing tables in rest stops in Iowa.
"What the Iowa Department of Transportation did, they recognizef that this was an issue and they said, 'We aren't going to allow this to happen in our Iowa rest areas,'" Baker told Local 5.
Although he can't speak with words, Charlie has a voice of his own on this issue.
"If Charlie could speak, he'd tell you, 'I don't want to be changed on that dirty bathroom floor.' He'd asked to be changed in a family restroom with the height adjustable adult size changing table," Baker said.
If you'd like to vote for the Iowa DOT to win $10,000 for this project, you can head over to the America's Transportation Awards' website.