AIBU to ask that hand driers are banned.

[BathshebaKnickerStickers]

I work as a TA with children who have ASC.

Every child with ASC In our school HATES/is scared of/is anxious about hand driers.

We have various toilets in the school where they are switched off permanently.

Thinking about it, surely one of the most obvious and simple thing that any organisation/business can do is to remove hand driers.

Surely using recycled paper towels, with enough bins, and onward recycling is better for the environment too.

Companies like Sainsbury’s and Morrison’s who do “low impact hours” once or twice a week could very quickly become more “low impact” 24 hours a day simply by removing all the hand driers.

I prefer hand towels , much nicer

Environmental health came to give my previous workplace a talk on hygiene in the workplace said that hand dryers are very bad for blowing germs on to your hands. They said that the workplace needed paper towels and hot water and soap as a matter of urgency! No surprises there when the place was shut down.

I thought loads of research had been done saying there were unhygienic, and paper towels were the most hygienic things to use.

They don’t have handryers in hospitals....

@JudasIscHarriet don't be so vile. Maybe try having some compassion? Shall we stop holding doors open for elderly people etc as they should be more resilient?

Unfortunate'y people abuse paper towels - put them down the loo and cause blockages, take great wodges of themso they run out more quickly, don’t pick them up when they go on the floor......

Sorry, are you a paediatrician? I'm just wondering what gives you the right to label this a childish fear when it could actually be a sensory issue? Some children have sensory processing disorder, a parent shouldn't have to say "oh sorry my child has additional needs can you stop doing that thing that you can see is making them cry".
My child has a problem with his ears and the hand dryer sound hurts his ears, I'm not explaining this to people. So no, it's not always something they can help, no different than an old person, maybe they should toughen up and open the doors themselves?

Ooh, I support banning them. DS doesn't mind them, but I am tired of triggering them with my bum when I turn around, I don't find them as effective as paper towels, and I suspect they are full of germs.

I particularly hate Airblades - they push the water up your wrists into your sleeves, they are always the wrong height, especially for children, it is hard to use them without touching the sides, and judging by the dust at the bottom, they are never cleaned.

Whilst banning them wouldn't be great due to the environmental impact, there could be more autism friendly sessions- I don't actually understand why they've stopped them around here .

As a parent of autistic children I really think it's better to teach coping mechanisms and get them used to things that can't be changed. My son also struggles with things like changes but we find that making him confront issues helps in the long run as he is better able to cope. Believe me, I'd like to change the world for him, but I can't. All I can do is teach him to cope with the world as it is.

I don't think it's about prejudice against non-NT people, but as PP have said, the world can be a frightening place for anyone, with or without additional needs. I'm petrified of dogs and cats, but they're unavoidable. Ditto people terrified of escalators, crowds, germs etc. These can all be truly life-changing phobias, but you just have to do what you can to avoid them as much as possible.

Judas - I’m the OP and didn’t mention my children at all.

I specifically talked about children I work with with ASC rather than “childhood fears” and making places more accessible for them.

They are ridiculously noisy and I hate them. Especially the Dyson ones. Can"t believe that level of noise is permitted in a confined space.

I had a conversation about handryers with someone who not only has a child with ASC but works with children with ASC and he said that rather than try to avoid them it would be better to work with the child on graded exposure to help them be more comfortable with them. So one suggestion was recording the sound of a really noisy dryer and listening to it at home and gradually increasing the volume in a way that is tolerable.

It isn't practical to completely eradicate loud noises but it might be possible to help children with ASC and sensory issues to be able to adjust to them.

I hope that doesn't sound dismissive because I really believe that we need to be more considerate as a society and not always expect anyone who isn't NT to fit into 'our' world rather than the other way around. As I said, this was from someone I trust and respect very much.

YABVU. You can't just go round banning something entirely because it doesn't suit everyone. FFS.

I had the opposite problem: ds has ASD and was OBSESSED with hand dryers. When he was old enough to use the Gents alone I'd frequently be waiting outside for 15 minutes listening to the dryers go on and off and on again. When he finally emerged I'd get a full rundown of the make and model.

It's not about not liking hand driers though, I have sensitivity to noise (I suspect I have asd but never diagnosed) and it's like a deep panic sensation when they are on, it really stresses me out and I have to try really hard to just keep going. It's like this intense stress and I can't do anything. I really really hate handriers, and it doesn't help if I don't use them because other people use them. I can cope with it but I can easily imagine if I was a child or a little bit worse I wouldn't be able to.

They are also gross, if they were more hygenic how come Drs,dentists, nurses etc dry their hands on paper towels?

They are full of germs, which they blow back out onto your hands and the wiping of your hands on a paper towel also helps as a final germ removal technique.

It's kind of sad that it's one small thing that might help people with asd navigate the world, and people act like you are being a twat for suggesting it. There are so many people with asd in the world, and it's never going to improve because everyone seems to think it's pandering when you make a suggestion that would help people with asd.

YABU I love a hand drier (the Dyson sort).
Paper towels are not environmentally sound and they also make a mess.

If we ban anything it should be bloody sparklers (my personal phobia).