We were visiting with some friends in downtown Roanoke, VA a few weekends ago. It was our birthday and we wanted to meet up with some people while we were down that way. We stayed at a local historical hotel and decided to make our way downtown to see the sights.

We were impressed with the ease of getting around the area. There weren’t a ton of cracks in the sidewalks, not too many hills to go up and down, plus places were pretty easy to get into (at least in the area we were exploring).

We termed the two day event “the weekend of eating” because that’s basically what we did – and it was yummy!

Our last indulgence was for dessert at a yogurt place. You know the new fad yogurt bars where you can get any type of yogurt and pile on the toppings and the price is based on the weight of your frozen creation.

On our way over, Scott said he wanted to head to the bathroom before we got our yogurt. He made his way through the crowd surrounding the soft serve machines and found this. A flight of stairs to reach the bathroom.

Now, when you gotta go, you gotta go, and you don’t have time to do this…

So Scott had to go all the way outside and find somewhere else to take care of business. Doesn’t this just seem wrong to you?

Remember, this isn’t just for people in wheelchairs. This is for parents with children and strollers. This is for people who can walk, but have difficulty climbing stairs or have trouble with their balance.

We shouldn’t create barriers for people to take care of a basic need. Using the bathroom.

Buildings that are universally designed can accommodate a wide variety of people because they are created to serve the needs of ALL their patrons.

(Image Credits: Dustin Harrell)