More Than 1 in 4 U.S. Adults Live With a Disability. New ASI Group Report Maps the Accessibility Gap in Commercial Restrooms

The 2024 International Building Code, new state requirements, and federal airport rules are pushing adult changing stations into mainstream commercial design

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ASI Group, the world's leading manufacturer of commercial washroom products, has released The Accessibility Gap: How Commercial Washrooms Are Moving Beyond Minimum ADA Compliance, a new industry report examining why a code-compliant restroom can still be unusable for people who need caregiver assistance.

More than 1 in 4 U.S. adults, 28.7 percent, live with a disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet the federal ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines contain no requirements for adult changing tables.

In a peer-reviewed study cited in the report, all 16 caregivers interviewed had changed a disabled person in a vehicle or parking lot, and 11 had used a public restroom floor. Caregivers also reported injuries, limiting fluids, and avoiding outings because suitable facilities were unavailable.

Headline Findings

• 28.7 percent of U.S. adults live with a disability. Mobility, self-care, and independent-living limitations can make a standard accessible stall insufficient.
• ADA compliance remains the baseline, not a complete solution. Current federal accessibility guidelines address toilet rooms and compartments but do not require adult changing tables.
• The 2024 International Building Code adds adult changing station requirements. Section 1110.4 applies when fixture-count thresholds are met in certain assembly, mercantile, higher-education, and school assembly occupancies, as well as highway rest stops and service plazas.
• State and federal rules are expanding the category. Minnesota's accessibility code now covers additional settings including hospitals, outpatient clinics, state park facilities, and MnDOT rest areas. Beginning in fiscal year 2030, medium and large hub airports applying for federal development grants must provide written assurance that each passenger terminal has at least one private single room with a universal changing station.
• Adult changing stations are not larger baby changing tables. The adult changing standard requires a minimum 400-pound structural capacity and a height-adjustable surface. Commercial diaper changing tables are designed for children weighing less than 50 pounds.

The report explains how the 2024 International Building Code uses fixture-count thresholds to determine when an adult changing station is required. Because the IBC is a model code adopted at the state and local level, the governing requirement depends on the code cycle adopted by the authority having jurisdiction.

"A restroom can meet every required dimension and still leave someone with no safe place to receive assistance," said Mark Schiller, Vice President Sales & Marketing at ASI. "This is becoming a planning issue, not a last-minute fixture decision. A universal changing station needs a dedicated room, an accessible route, transfer space, and room for a caregiver. If those needs are not addressed early, the project may discover the problem after moving walls has become expensive."

A New Category of Accessible Space

ASI is also introducing its Universal Changing Station as part of its broader accessible washroom portfolio. The height-adjustable station is designed for a dedicated, single-occupancy care room rather than installation inside a conventional multi-user restroom. ASI's Piatto™ and Velare™ collections extend the same accessibility focus across the washroom through recessed and concealed accessory systems that preserve circulation space and reduce wall-mounted obstructions.

Read The Accessibility Gap and review ASI's accessible washroom resources here.

About ASI Group

ASI is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial toilet partitions, washroom accessories, lockers, and visual display products. ASI Global Partitions and ASI Accurate Partitions are the company's partition divisions. With operating units and offices in the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, Mexico, and China, ASI serves architects, building owners, and contractors in more than 50 countries.

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SOURCE ASI Group