AIBU to tell a Supermarket their disabled toilets are only suitable for wheelchair users?

[DrDance]

I am in receipt of DLA higher rate mobility so have a legitimate reason to use the disabled toilets.

My problems involve balance and use walking sticks.

Yesterday I had a nasty fall whilst using the disabled facilities in a supermarket.

The problem was that the sink (and mirror) are affixed to the wall at the height for wheelchair users, which is of course completely understandable but there is no alternative for users with other disabilities.

Having to bend low to wash my hands resulted in me losing my balance and have a bruise today from falling.

My DS1 wanted to go the manager and complain there and then, but I wanted to think about it first.

Is it worth bringing this to their attention? I don't want to loo's tailored just for me however I am surely not alone in requiring to use the disabled toilets without a wheelchair?

I dont think its realistic to expect them to be able to provide ideal facilities for every person with a disability. If you can suggest improvements it might be worth letting them know. hope youre not too sore.

Could the toilet have physically fitted another higher sink in?

I think you should bring it to their attention, even if that is just so they have a record of the accident.

Hope you are ok now.

I dont think its realistic to expect them to be able to provide ideal facilities for every person with a disability. If you can suggest improvements it might be worth letting them know. hope youre not too sore.

I think it would be perfectly reasonable to give them some feedback, it does not necessarily mean making a complaint.
Sorry about your fall.

yes, do bring it to their attention
inclusion is about making sure that facilities are fit for everyone who needs to use them

I would bring it to their attention yes.

Hope you feel better soon.

I don't want to complain as such, just let them know it's not really suitable for users without a wheelchair iyswim.

Yes it could easily hold another sink.

It was just so badly designed, no rails on the wall, everything at wheelchair height even the mirror on the wall. I wanted to brush my hair but the mirror only got has high as my torso

It made me feel more insecure/unsafe, I would have been better just trying to go to the ladies

Most of the time these facilities are just within Disabled access guidelines, any bigger and they take up 'valuable' floor space. Because they just fit within the criteria there tends to be just enough room for a wheelchair user to turn and fit in the basics of toilet, handbasin, rails, dryers and bins, so any extras like an extra higher sink for non wheelchair users just won't fit.

Maybe make the suggestion that they think about other disabled users when designing these facilities but I can't see anything changing soon.

You could have used the basins and mirrors in the other toilets. Not ideal I know. I don't think a complaint is in order, but by all means bring it to their attention.

Disabled facilities don't seem to have been designed with disabled people in mind! I was going to the loo at the Cascades centre in Portsmouth last weekend, when I heard a man calling out from the disabled loo, he was trying to reverse out with his motorised wheelchair/scooter thing, but had got the back of his chair wedged on the door so he couldn't get it open, there wasn't enough space in there for him to have turned around once inside so have had to reverse and try and open the door at the same time - crazy design! Also a bit peeved that many people ignored his shouts for help!

Why should someone have to move to another toilet just to use the sink?

Asda near here appears very well designed, aswell as a disabled toilet for wheelchair access they have a larger cubicle with outward opening door in the main toilets which at least provides an alternative for people who need more space but aren't in a wheelchair.

Trinity, its all in the turning circle, IFIC there has to be 1200mm diameter clear floor space to enable a wheelchair user to turn, and that is what designers will use when designing these facilities. A motorised scooter has a larger turning circle so won't fit into them.

Its worth bringing to their attention. Also check out the regular ladies. I've noticed lately that many have one slightly larger cubicle with a toilet that has pull down grab rails in. So would be more suitable for someone in your situation as the basins etc would then be at standing height but you also have the grab rails for additional support.

Would a pull down rail by the sink be enough to help you keep your balance, OP? It might be most helpful if you could explain what they could do to help, rather than simply saying it isn't appropriate for all people who may need to use it.

I have mobility issues so sometimes use disabled loos and I was thinking about this the other day. Ditto places where they helpfully tie the emergency cords up so they aren't strangulation hazards (/pulled by mistake)... do they expect people with poor balance to undo the cord on the off-chance?

Nappy-changing facilities are often in the disabled loos, so I've used them many times and have often wondered about the height issue. Surely it can't be all that difficult to install a secondary tap, or one with extended, angled levers that can be operated from different heights, with a high spout? And as for the mirror - why not just install a full-length one?

Definitely a good idea to bring this to their attention. After all, you may have to take your custom elsewhere if you cannot be sure of being able to use the toilet there.

BTW, I'd complain in writing. Then they have to respond and there is a record of the problem being brought to their attention.

You can get adjustable sinks (had them in my accessible room in centre parcs) as another alternative although it involves extra expense.

I usually find there isn't a mirror at all. Do they not consider that disabled people might want to check their hair and make up when they pop to the loo, just like everybody else does?

OP you are in the right, they should try and be more inclusive, but probably need a little nudge. As others have said it doesn't have to be a complaint, after all it wouldn't be deliberate, just a lack of imagination. To many people disability = wheelchair. And what about the carers eh? As the person who wipes ds's bum I'd quite like to be able to use the handwashing facilities comfortably too .

Pixel one disabled loo I was in had a mirror (about a4 size) so high up that I had to stand on tiptoe to see below my eyebrows. I'm 5ft5, and not confined to a wheelchair.

Somebody really hadn't thought that one through...

Yes, please let them know. The toilets are for you too, you won't be the only one with a disability who isn't in a wheelchair. It's not like you're being fussy! You need to be able to wash your hands without taking a topple. Hope your bruise isn't too sore.

The sinks in the disabled toilets are usually those mini basins (with pathetic spray taps) which are totally inadequate for my needs. It does seem like cost cutting.

Oldroan, I was at a campsite like that last week. Toilets were in a sort of adapted portakabin thing and there was a row of tiny mirrors above the sinks that looked like they'd been put up by a perfectionist in possession of a spirit level and ruler. Just a shame they were too high for anyone shorter than 6 foot tall to see in them. I'm 5'2" and couldn't even see the top of my head .
(disabled toilet was in a horrid windowless cupboard, not a place to want to loiter long enough to look in a mirror, which was lucky as there wasn't one).