Applied Clinical Research graduate student Linda Hood is Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota.
Hood is using her platform to bring visibility to the need to upgrade public family bathrooms to offer drop-down tables for use by significantly disabled adults and their personal care assistants.
If there is no table, those who wear briefs and cannot stand need to lie on the floor to have their caregiver change them, Hood said.
“All people have to use the bathroom or stay at home,” Hood said. “Millions of people now wear Depends, if you are not able to stand on your own, you either remain in wet or soiled clothing or need to be changed on the floor. Females wearing soiled briefs could lead to a urinary tract infection.”
Hood is making it her mission to advocate with the legislature, corporations and the public to support improvements to bathrooms by adding adult changing stations in all large public gathering places.
“I would like to be instrumental in getting a bathroom adult changing station on campus and all over the world,” Hood said.
In addition to her advocacy for individuals with disabilities, Hood is pursuing a degree in Applied Clinical Research. Through her work in the program and profession, she seeks to show the contributions of people who are affected by Guillian-Barre syndrome, which can cause paralysis by weakening nerves but does not affect the brain.
The mission of Ms. Wheelchair America is to give women who use wheelchairs an opportunity to advocate for Americans living with a disability.
WCCO: Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota fighting for more accessibility in bathrooms
