Years of advocacy for an unglamorous cause leads to a change for the better at the Alaska State Capitol
- Mark Sabbatini
- Mar 20
- 4 min read
New universal changing table — the first at a public facility in Juneau — an example of ‘a seed being planted’ that may spur further growth on issues affecting the disabled, advocates say
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
A new restroom changing station might seem like a small thing — and definitely not the most glamorous for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. But for Eric Edwards, 18, and his adopted mother, Judy, it was a big moment showing years of advocacy can raise enough awareness about overlooked problems to bring about real solutions.
A new universal changing table — capable of accommodating adults on its height-adjustable platform — on the ground floor of the Alaska State Capitol is something almost all public facilities lack, according to the Alaska Department of Health. It is the only such table in a public facility in Juneau, officials said during Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Judy Edwards, in an interview before the ceremony, said she’s been working to alter that, citing an instance where she was forced to change her son, who has cerebral palsy, on the floor at Anchorage International Airport.
"We've been advocating for many years, but I spoke to the governor’s council on disabilities last year and they took this on," she said. "And the Key Campaign has taken it on, recognizing that there's a minority of people that are just so underserved in the sense of we're saving babies — premies and such — and eventually they become adults and some of them have significant disabilities. And so to think that the floor is an option or you don't feed them so they don’t have to go to the bathroom, that’s not OK."
The ribbon-cutting ceremony occurred during the Key Coalition of Alaska’s annual visit to the Capitol, where about 50 of its members spent two days advocating for several specific issues. Among them was House Bill 141, by Rep. Ashley Carrick, D-Alaska, which would require universal changing spaces in new or renovated public buildings.
The bill got a couple of committee hearings after it was introduced last year and has stalled since. But a notable achievement resulting from the bill is legislators provided funding for the universal changing station now at the Capitol, said Chelsea Burke, operations manager for the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education, who was among those at Thursday’s ribbon cutting.
"This is a great example of a seed being planted and it sprouting somewhere else," she said.
Rep. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau, who chairs the Legislative Council and co-sponsored HB 141, said during Thursday’s ceremony when her Juneau colleague, Rep. Andi Story, asked last year if installing a table at the Capitol was possible "the first thing we did was ask our maintenance team ’Can we?’"
"And without hesitation he started looking in the building where could we install one immediately," she said. "And of course, immediately, when you're doing any installation in a nearly 100-year-old building is not as immediate as we wanted."
The state Department of Health, in a letter advocating for HB 141, noted Anchorage's airport also has a universal changing table as a result of Judy Edwards' advocacy efforts.
Judy Edwards said she adopted Eric when he was eight months old.
"We were doing foster care to start with, but I had worked with kids with disabilities before that," she said. "So to accommodate one young man for a while I became a foster mom and they called me — he was eight months old — and they asked me if we would take him in."
Other efforts to improve accessibility facilities have occurred over the years, such as height-adjustable examination tables at medical facilities, Judy Edwards said.
"It's just a shame how little is thought of," she said.
The other priorities of this year’s Key Campaign, according to a list distributed by the organization: • Continuing efforts to eliminate a waitlist for developmental disability services, including seeking $1 million in state funds to secure a $1 million federal match for such services. Burke said her 14-year-old son has been on a waitlist for services since he was 8.
• Expand an Infant Learning Program for kids ages 0-3 via Senate Bill 178, which would lower the eligibility criteria to children with a 25% developmental delay — the standard used for special education services — rather than 50%. The Key Campaign states that will require a $5.72 million increase to the program. The bill is currently in the Senate Finance Committee, which held a hearing on it earlier this month.
• Revise Alaska’s Guardianship Statute via Senate Bill 190, which according to the Key Campaign would provide "stronger, more effective forms of oversight and enforcement," as well as promote "autonomy, basic rights, and dignity of the individual under guardianship." The bill sponsored by Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, had two committee hearings earlier this month.
• Improve access to transportation via House Bill 26, which expands the state’s responsibilities for assessing and developing transit systems in coordination with local governments, especially in rural and remote areas. The bill passed the House last May by a 22-17 vote and is scheduled for a Senate transportation Committee hearing on Tuesday.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
