Owensboro, Ky. (WEHT) — Owensboro health has installed Kentucky’s first public changing room for people with disabilities and their caretakers. The feature was the idea of Joey Newton, an advocate for people with special needs like him.
Newton cut the ribbon on the project on Thursday morning. Officials say before this changing room, caretakers would often have to place him on the floor.
Newton proposed this idea in a letter to the hospital’s CEO in December, and within 48 hours it was approved.
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Newton’s changing room will also be implemented in the construction of the city’s new indoor sports complex. Newton is part of the opportunity center, which supports people with disabilities and empowers them to achieve their goals.
“That sparked a ‘what?’ moment. Everybody was really like ‘this really happens? We were so excited that Joey found his voice, and that he was respected and listened to. The hospital came together and invited Joey and his caregiver to come and look at the facility, help make the decisions, and how it’s laid out,” says Rosemary Conder, the Opportunity Center’s Executive Director.