We started this because washing your hands should be a basic right, not a test of height or strength.
The Accessible Handwashing Initiative is a volunteer coalition of parents, little people, disabled adults, and caregivers across the country. We believe that a basic act of public hygiene should not depend on how tall you are, or on whether the adult with you can lift you to the faucet.
Our mission
To make accessible handwashing the default in every public restroom in retail, hospitality, healthcare, and civic spaces through advocacy, education, and changes to building codes.
Who we are
Parents of young children. People of short stature. Wheelchair users who parent. People living with chronic pain, lifting restrictions, pregnancy, or post-surgical recovery. We are the people for whom this gap is a daily friction.
What we value.
Dignity, not dependence.
Children and adults alike deserve to perform basic hygiene without asking a stranger for help.
Universal design.
Solutions that work for short-statured people and small children also work for caregivers who can’t lift. Good design includes everyone.
Practical advocacy.
We focus on changes a business or municipality can make this quarter, not someday.
Lived experience first.
Every recommendation we publish is shaped by people who navigate this barrier in real life.
Want to add your voice?
Coalition membership is free and open.