Changing Areas & Toilets

Accessibility and inclusivity take on special significance in the intimate spaces of toilets and changing areas, especially those attached to public swimming pools.
Because Philadelphia was an early innovator in the creation of public bathing and swimming facilities, many recreation centers and properties were built with a turn of the 20th century mindset to fit the needs of large able bodied poor and working class populations who did not have access to indoor running water.
The overwhelming majority of recreation centers in the City of Philadelphia were built long before the Americans with Disabilities Act was ratified by the United States government in 1990. Since that time, the City has spent millions of dollars in an effort to make every city building accessible, but without adequate funding to retrofit hundreds of buildings that are essentially antiques. The results are that most restrooms in City buildings including recreation centers and pools do have at least one wheelchair accessible stall, but not all of them.

Unfortunately, Philadelphia’s building code and the ADA have many points of conflicts. As a city largely built in the 18th century with narrow streets and sidewalks, the expansive grading and specifications of ADA ramps and accommodations are expensive and often impossible to integrate into the limited urban spaces in our city (which is not to excuse a lack of evolution on the manner but is to explain why it has been such a slo w process).
Where do gender nonconforming, mobility-challenged and bully-avoiding public find accommodation in Philly public pools?Generally, you can expect to find a gendered room with sinks and a row of stalls with toilets at your local playground each with at least one wheelchair accessible stall and a door that is propped open to allow staff to supervise/ prevent fights and violence.
Here are the exceptions:
Restrooms not observed with accessible facilities:

  • No accessible toilets were observed at Kendrick, however large walled off dressing (all genders) exists next to pool deck, where you may store your belongings if you choose not to bring them into the pool deck)
  • Photo of Handicap toilet in girls room with hose (and malfunctioning door)
    Handicap toilet in girls room with hose (and malfunctioning door)

Kendrick: (Roxborough) (is there anyway to get into the pool deck with a wheelchair? Are there any restrooms? None were observed in July 2024) Non-gendered showers provided at gate.
Oconnor: Old school cramped and inaccessible restroom although the pool deck doesn’t require stairs to enter and their are steps with railings in tot area of pool.
Cruz: Unisex toilet in pool house is in a rather inaccessible (to anyone, but definitely to wheelchair users) closet but thankfully has private changing/ toilet on deck!

Pools with unisex / single stall accommodations:

  • unisex single stall changing room and toilet on the pool deck at Ridgway pool, behind the High School for Creative & Performing Arts
    Unisex single stall changing room and toilet on the pool deck at Ridgway pool, behind the High School for Creative & Performing Arts just south of Center City
  • Unisex Tiolet behind stall wall/ closet at Cruz Pool Poolhouse
    Tiolet at Cruz Pool Poolhouse


Ridgway is the only playground pool with a single accessible unisex stall for changing/ toilet use (although no chair lift <sigh>)
Cruz: As previously explained, the unisex toilet in pool house is in a rather inaccessible (to anyone, but definitely to wheelchair users) closet but thankfully has private changing/ toilet on deck!
Lonnie Young: Although the single stall restrooms are labeled with gender markers (in apparent violation of the 2015 ordinance against those) there are accessible single stall facilities at this rec center that bends all the rules 😉 and they are single stalls so possibly an option for gender nonconforming folks who wish to choose a room without immediate judgment.

Unisex & accessible porta-potty provisions (often in addition to rec center restrooms) were available in July 2024 at:

  • Unsex and wheelchair accessible porta-pot at Ford Pool
    Unsex and wheelchair accessible porta-pot at Ford Pool
  • A collection of porta-pots at Kelly pool includes wheelchair accessble sizing opposite from the entrance to the pool deck
    A collection of porta-pots at Kelly pool includes wheelchair accessble sizing opposite from the entrance to the pool deck
  • Large size porta-pots at Heitzman /Harrowgate pool
    Large size porta-pots at Heitzman /Harrowgate pool

Athletic
Awbury
Belfield
Cherashore
Fletcher/ Mill Creek (these may have been intended for construction workers rebuilding the playground)
Heitzman/Harrowgate
Kelly
Scanlon

It will take some time, and public intervention/ insistence for the City of Philadelphia to provide safe, inclusive and accessible changing areas and toilets for all of its citizens. Rebuild Philadelphia should be addressing this (although recent rebuilds at Lonnie Young and Fletcher playground pools seem to have recently overlooked the Ordinance on gender neutrality for single stall restrooms and guidance on gender neutral / single stall rebuilds for some reason).
Until the City has the funding to completely rebuild all public restrooms and changing facilities, contracting for regularly cleaned porta-pots on every pool deck would go a long way toward providing every swimmer a safe, private comfortable place to change suits or use the toilet (although the City should insist on hooks for bags and hand sanitizers in every porta-pot as these elements were missing from many johns during July of 2024)