The Restroom Access Act, also known as Ally's Law, is legislation passed by several U.S. states that requires retail establishments that have toilet facilities for their employees to also allow customers to use the facilities if the customer has a medical condition requiring immediate access to a toilet, such as

inflammatory bowel disease Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammation, inflammatory conditions of the colon (anatomy), colon and small intestine, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis being the principal types. Crohn's disease affects the small intestine a ...

Crohn’s disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is severe), fever, abdominal distension, ...

Background

The law is named for Ally Bain, a 14-year-old girl from Illinois who had a flare-up of her

Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is severe), fever, abdominal distension ...

while shopping at a large retail store and was subsequently denied use of the employee-only restroom, causing her to soil herself. Bain's mother vowed it would never happen to anyone else. The two met with Illinois State Representative

Kathy Ryg Kathleen Ann Ryg (born August 6, 1952) is a former Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 59th district from 2003 until 2009. The district includes all or part of Vernon Hills, Prairie View, Long Grove, ...

, helped her draft a bill, and testified before a committee at the state capital. The bill was signed into law in August 2005, making Illinois the first U.S. state to do so.

Where in force

As of December 2018, at least 15 U.S. states had passed versions of the law. They include Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Washington. A Virginia bill, which would have levied fines of $100 for non-compliance, was shelved due to concerns about exposing businesses to lawsuits, as well as concerns about security and intellectual property. There is support for a federal version of the act, but some small-business people object to the public using their employee bathrooms.The Restroom Access Act

about.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, l ...

Applicability

In general, each state requires that the customer present a document signed by a medical professional attesting that the customer uses an

ostomy In anatomy, a stoma (plural stomata or stomas) is any opening in the body. For example, a mouth, a nose, and an anus are natural stomata. Any hollow organ can be manipulated into an artificial stoma as necessary. This includes the esophagus, stoma ...

device or has

ulcerative colitis Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary symptoms of active disease are abdominal pain and diarrhea mixed with blood (hematochezia). Weight loss, fever, and a ...

, or other

or medical condition requiring access to a toilet facility without delay. In at least two states, Oregon and Tennessee, the customer can present an identification card issued by a national organization advocating for the eligible medical condition. Some states also include pregnancy as a covered medical condition.

Sample law

The Restroom Access Act of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

states:

Courtesy card

In Australia, the association Crohn's & Colitis Australia (CCA) encourages businesses to support people with such medical conditions by recognizing th
Can't Wait Card
issued by the CCA. The CCA states: :Crohn's & Colitis Australia (CCA) is inviting retailers, business owners and venue operators to show their support for people with the medical condition Crohn's and colitis, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), by displaying a window sticker recognising the Can't Wait Card in their store.Welcome to the Can't Wait Program
Crohn's & Colitis Australia Other countries including the UK have similar programs of voluntary participation by businesses, one such program in the UK is the Bladder & Bowel Community's Just Can't Wait Car
FREE Just Can't Wait Toilet Card
A card with no country specific indications is available explaining the possibility of legislation and the gravity of the card holders disability and need for restroom access.

References

{{reflist Accessibility Gastrointestinal tract disorders Restrooms in the United States United States state health legislation