Many states in the United States have passed the Restroom Access Act, also known as Ally’s Law, to acknowledge this medical need.
Ally’s Law requires that retail businesses with toilet facilities for employees allow customers with specific medical conditions to access them if the need arises.
Read on to learn more about Ally’s Law, including where it applies and how it works.
Ally’s Law requires retail establishments to allow people with certain medical conditions, such as IBD, to access an employee restroom if no public facilities are available and they need to go.
The law got its name from Ally Bain, a young woman from Illinois who has IBD. Doctors have diagnosed approximately 3 million adults in the U.S. with IBD, which includes Crohn’s diseaseand ulcerative colitis.
When Ally was 14 years old and shopping with her mother in a large retail store, she experienced a Crohn’s disease flare, which included a sudden urge to go to the toilet. There were no public restrooms, so she asked to use the employee restroom. The manager denied Ally access, and she had an accident in the store.
Ally and her mother met with Illinois State Representative Kathy Ryg to draft a bill allowing people to use an employee restroom if they have a medical condition and are in urgent need. The bill became law in Illinois in August 2005. Since then, several other states have passed the Restroom Access Act.
Ally’s Law falls under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This Act protects people with disabilities from discrimination.
Examples of some of the conditions that fall under the Restroom Access Act include:
- Crohn’s disease
- ulcerative colitis
- other types of IBD
- irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- any condition involving the use of an ostomy device
- any permanent or temporary condition requiring immediate access to a restroom
Ally’s Law also covers pregnancy as a medical condition in some states.
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