San Antonio offers a wide variety of public events, from Fiesta to the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo and many others. Most of us don’t think twice about attending if we wish, but for many people with disabilities, it’s not that simple.
Lack of fully accessible restroom facilities means those in wheelchairs often can’t attend public events or can only stay for a short time. That’s why disABILITYsa, a local nonprofit, developed their Mobile Changing Unit (MCU), a trailer fully outfitted for those with disabilities. A 2022 Impact San Antonio High Impact Grant helped fund its construction.
The MCU made its debut at the rodeo in February as the first facility of its kind in the nation. The 24-foot-long trailer includes an accessible toilet and sink, an adjustable-height changing table, a hand-held shower, and a hoist “swing” to lift people in and out of wheelchairs. Someone is on site to clean the unit between uses.
The idea came up in 2019, when Traci Lewand, whose son Mason has multiple disabilities, started a group called Changing SA to highlight the need for changing tables in public buildings in the community.
disABILITYsa CEO Melanie Cawthon was already aware of the need and knew that the state Capitol was installing a changing table for use by people with disabilities.
“As I was researching that, I came across information on the Mobile Loo in the United Kingdom in late 2019,” she said. “We immediately decided we wanted one of those, and started to look for a manufacturer.”
That took a while, as they contacted food service companies and trailer manufacturers until they found a company in Buffalo, NY, that would do the job. They got price quotes and started fundraising.
“That took about three years,” Cawthon said, and included grants from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, the Warm Springs Foundation and local charitable groups including Impact San Antonio.
Construction started after they made their first down payment in July 2022, Cawthon said. “We went ahead on faith because prices kept going up,” she said. Delivery of the unit was delayed from November until February, and it was finally debuted at the disABILITYsa offices on February 19.
While some of the final logistics are still being worked out, the MCU is scheduled to be at Fiesta Fiesta in Travis Park, the Chaparral music festival at HemisFair, and the Fiesta Especial Celebration in the Alamodome parking lot, all in April. Other events are being considered.
The grant from Impact SA finished paying for the MCU, Cawthon said.
“There were tears when we were named the recipient of the $100,000 grant” at Grant Award Night last October, she said. “It was so meaningful to feel validated and seen by the 500-plus women who make up Impact San Antonio. The collective impact was not just financial. It was monumental for the families who need this facility.”
To see disABILITYsa’s finalist video for the 2022 Impact SA grant, click here.
For more information on the MCU and the work of disABILITYsa, go to www.disabilitysa.org. Or call (210) 704-7262.
