About ARA
About Us
The American Restroom Association was founded in 2004. Over the past twenty years, the ARA has advocated for and influenced restroom design and provision regulations, supported initiatives for documenting restroom access needs, and supported people across the country in restroom access.
Our Mission
The American Restroom Association (ARA), founded in 2004, is committed to advocating for the availability of clean, safe, well-designed public restrooms throughout the United States. We strive to help communities create accessible, available, and usable public restrooms nationwide.
Our mission encompasses:
- Promoting innovative restroom design and technology.
- Advocating for increased restroom availability, accessibility, and usability.
- Monitoring and advocating for pertinent legislation and regulations.
- Educating built environment professionals and policymakers on issues related to restroom access
- Documenting the problems people face when they cannot access adequate public restrooms
To achieve this mission, the ARA:
- Works with volunteers and stakeholders across the United States to advocate for local legislation, funding, and code changes to expand restroom access
- Provides educational opportunities and technical assistance for policy makers and practitioners on restroom access topics
- Develops and executes public awareness campaigns to generate interest and buy-in from the public
- Develops content and information to address weaknesses in existing regulations and legislation.
- Serves as a central resource for information regarding the health impacts of inadequate public restroom access, best practice guidelines, and information on restroom designs
- Surveys local and state initiatives to assess and recognize communities prioritizing public restroom access.
Establishing and maintaining communication with similar organizations worldwide.
