Organizations
Friends and Allies
“Toilet People,” as we like to affectionately refer to them, come from all walks of life, and have myriad concerns that drive their advocacy for public restrooms. It is the American Restroom Association’s goal to bring those wide-ranging groups together to lift the tide of that advocacy and thereby lift all boats. Our key connections are listed below. Please visit their sites to learn more about their areas of expertise.
Simon Foundation for Continence
- Incontinence affects millions of individuals worldwide. Estimates suggest that over 33 million adults in the US are affected by urinary incontinence – and countless more by fecal incontinence or a combination of
both types of incontinence.
- Since 1982, The Simon Foundation for Continence has been dedicated to:• Bringing the topic of incontinence out into the open,
• Removing the stigma surrounding incontinence,
• And providing help and hope for people with incontinence, their families,
and the health professionals who provide their care. - Cheryl B. Gartley, founder and president of the The Simon Foundation, is a member of the ARA’s Board of Directors.
Munk Foundation for the Oceans
- It may seem strange to have the Walter Munk Foundation for the Oceans as a key friend of the American Restroom Association. However, stemming from ARA Board Member and Munk Foundation President, Mary Coakley Munk’s work on the
La Jolla Shores public restroom project – and the participation on the ARA Board of other Southern California architecture professionals who supported the project – the ARA is proud to call the Munk Foundation friend and ally.
PHLUSH (Public Hygiene Lets Us Stay Human)
Mission: Through education and advocacy, PHLUSH helps local governments and citizen groups to provide equitable public restroom availability and to prepare for sanitation disasters with appropriate ecological toilet systems.
- PHLUSH began in 2005 when it recognized the need for better restroom access in Portland, Oregon. Since then, it has assisted in the development of the Portland Loo, advocated successfully for more gender-neutral facilities, pushed for the eventual adoption of the twin bucket system in case of an emergency that destroys sewer infrastructure, and many other sanitation related achievements.
- PHLUSH has an advocate network that expands nationwide and is one of only a handful of organizations in America advocating for better public sanitation.
- A PHLUSH representative is a member of the ARA’s Board of Directors.
Project CLEAN
- Project CLEAN (Citizens, Learners, and Educators Against Neglect) has worked for 25 years to improve the safety, cleanliness, and hygiene of public school restrooms and is the national leader in these efforts. Project CLEAN founder, Dr. Tom Keating, serves on the ARA’s Board of Directors, and provides his invaluable expertise on the state of school restrooms.
PFFC - Downtown DC Public Restroom Initiative
The Mission of the People for Fairness Coalition is to end housing instability for individuals who live on the streets and in shelters in the Nation’s Capital through Advocacy, Outreach, and Peer Mentoring. By necessity, that means advocating for clean, safe, and available public restrooms, not only for those experiencing homelessness, but for all residents, workers, and visitors to Downtown DC. The PFFC Downtown DC Public Restroom Initiative is arguably one of the most active and hopeful grassroots-to-policy campaigns in the US in support of public restrooms. Learn more about PFFC’s work through this comprehensive presentation shared with the ARA by PFFC’s mentor and advisor, Marcia Bernbaum. In addition, you’ll find some of their amazing research on our “Restroom Research” page.
Stalled!
Stalled! takes as its point of departure national debates surrounding transgender access to public restrooms to address an urgent social justice issue: the need to create safe, sustainable and inclusive public restrooms for everyone regardless of age, gender, race, religion and disability. Stalled! addresses this issue through lectures and workshops, writings and interviews, design guidelines and prototypes. The ARA is pleased to be able to call on Stalled! experts when addressing issues of public restroom design and availability.
The additional organizations listed below also recognize public restrooms as a necessary component of modern life.
American Public Health Advocacy Organizations
- Activism for IBD and IBS
- American Foundation for Urologic Disease
- American Medical Women’s Association
- American Urogynecologic Society
- American Urological Association
- Clean Hands Campaign
- Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America
- Digestive Disease National Coalition (DDNC) See also DDNC Endorsement
- DrDonnica.com
- IFFGD About Incontinence
- IFFGD About IBS
- International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
- Interstitial Cystitis Association
- Interstitial Cystitis Network
- Massachusettes General Hospital Urinary Incontinence
- Mixed Incontinence in Women
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
- Overactive Bladder Resources
- The Simon Foundation for Continence
- Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) – Johns Hopkins
- Stress Urinary Incontinence – McLaren
- Stress Urinary Incontinence – OHSU Center for Women’s Health
- United Ostomy Association
- University of Utah Health Care, Women’s Health Services – Urogynecology, Incontinence
- Urology Care Foundation
- Virginia Women’s Center – Urinary Incontinence
- World Toilet Organization
Asian Restroom Advocacy
Australia:
- Continence Foundation of Australia
- National Continence Management Strategy
China:
Korea:
Japan:
- Restroom Association of Singapore
- Society of Continence Singapore )
- Japan Toilet Association
Other:
European Restroom Advocacy
- Bladder Health UK
- The British Toilet Association (BTA)
- The Continence Foundation
- Global Sanitet Club (formerly known as Finland Toilet Association)
- Incontact (http://www.incontact.org/)
Livable Communities
- AARP’s “Be Active for Life”
- About.com Walking
- America Walks
- Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
- Australia National Government Department of Social Services National Toilet Map
- Child Advocate
- Public Toilet Advocacy Toolkit
Contact Us
American Restroom Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 21237
Catonsville, MD 21228
Phone: 800-247-3864
Fax: 443-315-5251
Email: getinfo@americanrestroom.org

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