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Norma Psycher and her mom work behind the counter at the Midland Biggby on Thursday, July 28.

The public bathroom now includes an adult sized changing table for customers with disabilities, and ample space for wheelchair accessibility. 

The public bathroom now includes an adult sized changing table for customers with disabilities, and ample space for wheelchair accessibility. 

A local business owner is making sure everyone has an equal opportunity to bond over a cup of coffee.

Norma Psycher's Biggby Coffee shop located at 6615 Eastman Ave. is now the first in the restaurant chain to install an adult-sized changing table in a move to become more accessible. 

“I'm a mom,” Pyscher said. “And when I had an infant and there wasn't a changing table, I would pull out a changing mat and change my baby on the floor. But then you don't think about past that stage, they roll over, they get bigger, they're anxious.”

An enlightening conversation with Iris Mehler, a disability activist, allowed the entrepreneur to see how she could better accommodate people visiting her store. 

In the future, Norma Psycher said her Biggby store on Eastman Avenue is looking into getting a grant that would allow them to switch to a height-adjustable table, allowing wheelchair users to slide on rather than have to get lifted onto the table.

"If we were to be able to receive this grant and the full amount and get the height adjustable changing table, then we would be looking at donating the current changing table that we have to another local place that would want it," Psycher said.

This would be another step in making the Midland community more inclusive by enabling all people to "go when they need to go".

Iris Mehler is also involved in an effort to install accessible bathrooms in Grove Park, which would include an adult-sized changing table and a hoist to transfer from the wheelchair to the toilet.  

Mehler said she wants to see Midland have a Disability Pride Parade and Film Festival, and within the next five years, she hopes to see at least 10 adult-sized changing tables in the city. 

Mehler, whose daughter has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, said their day is often planned around finding an accessible bathroom. In an emergency without an adult-sized changing table, Mehler has to use the same last resort for her 14-year-old daughter that Psycher used with her baby: the floor.

“No parents should ever face this dilemma and think about how they should place their child on a dirty bathroom floor,” Mehler said.

At the Biggby on Eastman Avenue, they won't have to. 

After talking with Mehler, Psycher said her decision to add the changing table was a “no-brainer” once they knew they had enough money and space.  

Psycher owns two Biggby shops in Midland. At 1,000 square feet, her location on Eastman is bigger than most in the chain, which allowed for a full bathroom renovation to include ample space for wheelchair accessibility.

“When we fold the changing table down into the open position, you could still move a wheelchair around and be able to access everything without the barrier of space,” Psycher said.

They now offer two single-occupancy unisex bathrooms. Before the changing table was installed, Psycher said customers would often comment on the amount of space in the larger bathroom.

“They asked if I had a cot that I put in there at night to sleep here. It is really that big,” Psycher said. “It's the size of my bedroom growing up, so it's a little bit shocking for customers to walk into a bathroom that size.”

The new bathroom goes above and beyond the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which disability experts say are not adequate enough for many people with disabilities.

For the city of Midland, the Biggby bathroom acknowledges those disparities and is a step toward building a more inclusive community.

“I've had a lot of people who said to me, ‘This is going to be my number one place. Now, when we're out and about, at least we know we can stop here. So I'll be a customer for life,’ which is really exciting,” Psycher said.

The table cost about $3,500, and even after nine months on backorder, Psycher said it was “absolutely” worth it.

“Growing up, everything was centered around sharing coffee with people,” Psycher said. “The idea of not allowing someone that experience really broke my heart.”

Working beside her mother, Psycher said their favorite memories together were shared over a cup of coffee. The business owner also met her husband at a Biggby Coffee shop.

Other Biggby locations have expressed interest in making similar efforts at their locations, through store layout options or employment opportunities.

Stephanie Schlichter, vice president of operations at Biggby, said Psycher's efforts are a “step in the right direction” for the company.

“Biggby Coffee as an organization is always looking for ways to make the store design and layout more inclusive,” Schlichter said.

Mehler said community members like Psycher give her hope that Midland can improve to be more welcoming toward her daughter and others with disabilities.

“She did it all as a young women entrepreneur with a small budget without asking anyone for help,” Mehler said. “If she can do it, everybody else can. There is no more space and room for excuses.”

Psycher said that in changing the store, she wanted to stay true to the Biggby motto: “We exist to love people.”

“My encouragement to the community is always if you have a desire, speak it loud so that we can hear it; and we can't always do everything, but we're always looking to make progress," she said. “If we can do it, we'll do it.”