The restroom at Impett Park will soon become more accessible for everyone.
This March, during Developmental Disabilities Month, the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities awarded $184,100 in grants for Arts & Culture, Recreation, Libraries, Accessibility. One of this year’s “physical access” recipients, with an award of $10,000, is Friends of Impett Park/West Park Kamm’s Neighborhood Development groups.
Working together in applying for this grant, West Park Kamm’s Neighborhood Development (WPKND) and Friends of Impett Park (FOIP) revealed the need to enhance Impett Park’s restroom facilities. Using feedback from residents after the groundbreaking of the new radically inclusive playground, the need for an Universal Changing Table (UCT) became apparent. Without a UCT, barriers continue to exist.
A Universal Changing Tables must have these features:
- Powered height-adjustable
- At least 70 inches long
- At least 30 inches wide
- A side rail that can fold up and down, and locks in place when folded up.
A Community Development specialist from the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities visited Impett Park to measure and confirm the restroom could be retrofitted for a UCT.
Having an ADA restroom to enhance the play space answers the top request of families with disabled members.
“We reviewed all available material from Changing Spaces Campaign resources, and the Accessible Ohio Playbook webinar on personal care. The models we quoted meet the specification standards. Appropriate signage on the usage of UCTs will need to be included. We will choose a UCT that is durable enough to be used in an outdoor restroom that is winterized in cold months,” said FOIP’s Kate Catanese.
The cost of a UCT will be around $10,000. There will be additional costs to retrofit the restroom. Exploring other funding sources to compensate for additional costs is likely, officials said. The grant requires the project to be completed by the end of December 2025.
Once completed, the parks’ restroom with the Universal Changing Table will be the first adjacent to an outdoor adaptive playground in Cleveland or any of the neighboring suburbs. The next closest UCT is in Middleburg Heights, a recreation center several suburbs away. Dignified, safe and accessible restrooms are a human right.
“We’re thrilled to see Friends of Impett Park receive this funding. Their grassroots leadership and vision made this possible, and we were proud to support them as their fiscal agent. This kind of collaboration is exactly what helps keep our neighborhood moving forward,” said WPKND’s Executive Director David Robinson.
“Friends of Impett Park have poured so much heart into making the park more welcoming and accessible. We’re honored to have played a supporting role in helping them secure this grant—because when neighbors step up like this, our whole community benefits,” Robinson added.
We're celebrating four years of amplifying resident voices from Cleveland's neighborhoods. Will you make a donation to keep our local journalism going?
