to have told off colleague for using disabled toilet

[loopsylala]

I have a disability and often can't get into the toilet at work as its being used by people changing clothes etc.

I mentioned it to hr who put a sign up but that's been removed.

Just caught someone using it. I asked if he was disabled, he said no but that the other toilets are sometimes full. I said that didn't matter, as he shouldn't be using the disabled toilet.

I'm worried now I will get into trouble. I've complained about this so many times and don't want to be seen as a trouble maker or that it's "my" toilet.

I hate confrontation and want to get on with my colleagues.

Could I have handled it better?

I don't think that you are being unreasonable, as a disabled person myself it drives me mad when able bodied people use the disabled toilet when very often there is only one and usually several normal toilets, I think it's selfish but sadly that is the world we live in now.
I would ask hr if it's possible to fit a radar lock that way you can only access it if you have a radar key.
All the best

Zombie thread

Whether most disabled toilets should be priority for disabled people rather than exclusively for disabled people is kind of irrelevant in this situation since, given the lock and key situation it is clearly company policy to make these particular loos exclusively for disabled staff and visitors.

I sort of understand the knee jerk reaction to the OP asking the loo user if he is disabled. But since it’s supposed to be an exclusively diasabled loo, surely using it is a declaration of disability and privacy concerns about that only really apply if you’re not disabled and are trying to game the system?

I suspect, OP, that you HR department is more effective on paper than in reality - signs torn down and locks getting picked indicate to me that there is no on the ground management support for these sorts of policies. I suspect that’s what they’ll need to change for a long term improvement.

Hope your tests come back as good as they can and you’re feeling better soon.

Zombie? Damnit. I spent ages reading that.