An exhibit on the go: Students examine restroom accessibility at 色情视频
'Where is the bathroom?' is on display at the University Library as part of a broader study of public health issues.
Do you know where the nearest bathroom is? It鈥檚 a common question, but many of us don鈥檛 think about it beyond our immediate needs. But bathroom access is a matter of public health and basic dignity, and unfortunately, not everyone has access to what they need.
This spring, 色情视频 students in classes Community Organizing and Action Research for Public Health (Public Health 496) and Community Resources in Criminal Justice (Criminal Justice 543) conducted a Photovoice assessment of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) access at 色情视频. Photovoice is a participatory, visual qualitative research method that combines photography and narrative storytelling to document students鈥� lived experiences with WaSH access.
More than 50 色情视频 students examined student access to basic facilities, including drinking water, bathrooms, and menstrual hygiene, across 色情视频 and 色情视频 Imperial Valley. They also considered 色情视频鈥檚 responsibility to provide WaSH access to the public. Their eye-opening findings are now on display in an exhibit titled: 鈥溾�橶here is the bathroom?鈥� takes on health and justice policy advocacy through a photovoice study of WaSH access on campus.鈥�
It can be seen in the University Library in Donor Hall, the first-floor corridor between the Library Addition and Love Library; and will remain through the end of the academic year.
The students partnered with the (PSJ), led by School of Public Affairs faculty Megan Welsh Carroll and Madison Swayne, and School of Public Health faculty Jerel Calzo and Jennifer Felner. Over the last five years, this team has been studying the critical role bathrooms and other WaSH resources play in the San Diego region and other areas of California and how such access contributes to the health and well-being of unhoused people.
Teams of students fanned out across campus to visit restrooms and other WaSH facilities to document both problems and good practices they found. To compose the narrative, they also drew on their own experiences and conducted surveys, go-along interviews and observations to explore the issue more deeply.
A key issue for the team was basic accessibility. On the plus side, they appreciated gender neutral restrooms and signs that explained who could use them. They also, however, found stalls meant to be ADA-accessible that would be difficult for someone using a wheelchair to navigate due to narrow access and foot-pedal flushing toilets.
鈥淚 learned that for the population that needed the ADA restrooms, they were essential to their ability to be successful students,鈥� said third-year criminal justice student Tavee Binavi, a member of the team. 鈥淚 also learned about the Photovoice research method and how to work as a team. Finally, I now think about what I can do to make public restrooms better for everyone.鈥�
The data collected and the subsequent analyses identified strengths and opportunities across multiple WaSH domains and among various student populations, including students residing in campus housing, students with limited mobility, students who menstruate, and gender-diverse students, as well as the general public. Complete data and recommendations , which also includes the broader work of the PSJ team in San Diego.
After conducting their research, the students met with Gabriel Silva, associate director of Custodial and Landscape Services, to discuss their findings and brainstorm potential solutions.
鈥淭his is the first time someone has done this type of study and asked questions about how this works,鈥� said Silva. 鈥淚 was glad to be able to explain some of the challenges and to hear some ideas for solutions. For example, adding QR codes to signs so students could tell Facilities Services when a restroom needed attention is a great idea and we will look into implementing it.鈥�
In some areas, Silva explained, restroom maintenance is handled by outside vendors under contracts with the operators. These include Charles B. Bell Pavilion (Aztec Shops) and Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union (Associated Students). The students suggested that it would be helpful to label restrooms so they would know who to contact if there was a problem.
Carroll and Silva are already collaborating on projects for next year and look forward to continued information sharing. 鈥淚t was never our intention to criticize the custodial staff because we know they work very hard,鈥� Carroll said. 鈥淭his research emphasized the shared responsibility of maintaining clean and sanitary restrooms. We all need to do our part.鈥�
An online version of the exhibit is in the works.
