Banging on the door of the Accessible Toilet

[HunterHearstHelmsley]

Why do people do this?!

I've just used the accessible toilet (I need to use the accessible toilet). I'd barely sat down and someone started banging on the door. I wasn't in there an unreasonable amount of time - probably about 30 seconds when the door banging started and 3 minutes overall. I was in there because I needed to be, banging on the door isn't going to make me quicker. If someone was taking the piss, it'd probably make them stay longer!

It's not the first time it's happened but it's so frustrating. It happened a few weeks ago also, that time was a woman wanting to use the baby change... the baby change wasn't even in the accessible loo!

It's really annoyed me this morning, it's not something I've noticed when using non-accesible toilets so I think it's just an accessible loo thing. But whyyyy?! I can't go faster 😩

This makes sense - explains why some can’t be accessed and others can.

The most eye opening thing is that if 24% of people have some sort of disability why on earth have we got such poor toilet provision in general. I don't see a quarter of toilets being accessible toilets

Indeed. It's not the government's fault though, because it is down to local councils. In in some areas, provision is pretty good. You might have to pay, but the toilets exist. I will give Abbotskerswell parish council, Teignbridge district council (could be Teignmouth Town Council, not sure who is responsible for the ones in Teignmouth) (Devon), Hartley Wintney Parish Council (Hampshire) Jersey, Guernsey and many Scottish councils an honourable mention for having easily accessible, clean loos. However, that's normal loos.

I strongly suspect that there isn't a council in the country that has ample accessible loos though.

And of course, it's not just the 24%, there is also the 50% made up of women who even if they don't have periods yet or anymore, still need more provision than men do, as well as the elderly.

I mean the govt have dropped council funding down to practically zero so I'm not sure culpability is that clear cut

Yep. And let’s face it, the disabled are at the bottom of the table when it comes to Tory priorities. They’re out to cut eligibility for benefits designed to level up the disabled to the bone, by the back door, so they’re not likely to be bothered whether they’re providing enough council funding to ensure disabled people can pee in peace.

They used to be more effective when it needed a RADAR key to open them. Nowadays everyone seems to use them..🙄

It's also important to remember that 24% of people might have a disability but many - possibly the majority - don't need an accessible toilet or a disabled parking space. Some will need one but not both.

I'm not trying to suggest disability provision is adequate (it bloody isn't) but it's pertinent to this thread to acknowledge not all disabled people need all provisions. I personally don't need an accessible toilet and so wouldn't use one.

Don’t assume anything🙄🙄

I don’t think you can make a broad statement like that without evidence to back it up - I certainly don’t think that the majority don’t need both and I think once you start down the road of making distinctions like that, it just gives the relevant authorities an excuse to rein in funding for disabled facilities even further. And you have to keep in mind that the provision of accessible facilities and disabled parking isn’t in equal measure. Plus the fact that you have to be awarded a blue badge in order to use disabled parking facilities, whereas you don’t need any proof of eligibility to use an accessible loo. Too many variables.

I used an accessible loo with my MIL who is in a wheelchair she was 80 at the time. A younger guy who had a white cane so obviously visually impaired pushed his way through the queue ranting and raving that he needed to use he toilet we watched against as he jumped the queue and started rattling at the handle. My MIL shouted at him and told him that she didn't care if he was blind heis need is no greater than other disabled users. He was a dick, they cross all spectrums it appears you met one.

The problem is that RADAR keys are widely available - even ebay and Amazon provide them, and there’s no proof of disability needed to obtain one. So ypu can’t tell by looking if someone has a hidden disability or they are just using facilities to which they are not entitled. And you can’t challenge. This has been my problem throughout this thread. There are some of the very judgmental comments toward those advocating for some sort of challenging to be considered acceptable where disability is not obvious. If we do challenge people feel scared/offended/victimised in varying degrees. If we don’t, the facilities become less and less accessible to those for whom they are meant. Don’t know what the answer is.

Some disabled people are selfish and entitled, but if some of the selfish and entitled comments on this thread are anything to go by I don’t think that happens anything like as often as people who feel entitled to use the facilities even though they know they’re not eligible.

Apart from you not understanding the impact of heavy periods, you have just agreed with every one of my scenarios.
Yet your condescending and insulting attitude implies that you have somehow triumphed over my examples.
Dear, dear!

I did point out in my post that using a standalone disabled toilet was wrong, I know they are not for the use of easing queues and would not use one. The only time it would be acceptable to use one is when they are the single toilet somewhere (like a costa).

I see your reasoning, however there does need to be a toilet in with the nappy changing facilities or at least a large cubicle that you can get a buggy in, otherwise it's pretty difficult for people with children in buggies to use public toilets. Have to abandon the buggy somewhere, get child out, sit on the toilet with them on your lap, do it all one handed etc. This is already a problem in many places!

Doesn’t matter if you understand the impact of heavy periods or not, the fact is that unless there is an underlying condition causing them, they are not a health condition. And being pregnant is not a condition which temporarily qualifies you to use accessible toilets because pregnant does not mean disabled.

But we need to qualify ‘accessible toilet’. The larger single sex accessible toilet cubicles within the rows in standard male/female toilets are for general use by anyone who needs extra space - so acceptable for dealing with period difficulties and also for pregnant women who need more space to move around. The larger stand alone accessible toilets which are unisex and located outside standard male/female facilities are intended solely for the use of disabled people - including wheelchair users - and their carers.

So having clarified that, why do you think this poster is agreeing with your scenarios ? Because your first two were incorrect, and no-one, including this poster, has disputed the fact that IBS is an illness necessitating the use of accessible toilets - including the ones intended for the sole use of disabled people and their carers. You’ve stated the obvious

It’s you who insists on presenting these ‘gotcha’ moments and it’s really not clever unless you’re sure of your facts. So yes, I think this poster has ‘triumphed’ over your examples.

I know I have agreed- you brought up scenarios where the answer is bloody obvious- it’s a common tactic on threads like this where people try and catch out disabled people with this sort of thing, in order to try and paint us as unreasonable and entitled people. It never works because it isn’t true.

You are not original in doing this and it isn’t clever.

Also, you never mentioned ‘heavy periods’, just menstrual cups. So I only responded about menstrual cups… if you want to know about heavy periods-

Obviously- some women have endo or pcos or fibroids etc, any of which can lead to flooding, pain, anemia, dizziness and a whole host of other things. Women with these issues might well need to use an accessible toilet. No one wants a flood of menstrual blood on the floor.

There is a massive difference between these situations and someone just choosing to handle a ‘normal’ average period by using a menstrual cup.