To be annoyed at being told to be considerate of disabled people

[DefendingPan]

This sign was in the disabled toilet in a restaurant (which is also the only baby change in the restaurant).

What’s the point of this sign? What might parents be doing that they will stop after reading this?

They might be using it unnecessarily when there are other non disabled toilets available?

weird sign. I can only assume something has happened that made them feel the need to do this
almost feels like they dont understand about invisible disabilites

I suppose it means just try not to take too long? Though I agree people are not likely to be spending more time than necessary in a public toilet enjoying the experience of changing a nappy.

It is the only baby change

Be mindful of how long they’re taking? Eg my brother in law takes about 30 minutes to change a nappy. No joking. Pop the door open once the dirty nappy is off and new nappy on to keep an eye on whether someone is waiting? Then finish putting back on socks and shoes etc back in the hallway rather than in the one shared bathroom? That kind of thing.

Try not to take as long, don't harass someone who is taking a long time in there just because you want to change your baby, don't feed your baby in the toilet etc.

I've seen all of these things happen.

I do think it’s a bad idea to have the baby change in the disabled loo.
Was once at an event where this was the case and the queue for the loo from disabled people was so long I felt I couldn’t join it to use the baby change so I found somewhere else to change the baby.
More suitable spaces for everyone is the answer

Maybe there was a punch up in a queue outside about who should go first.

Mums and dads please remember to put your needs and those of your child behind absolutely everyone else who exists, less you be judged as entitled for using basic amenities like toilets

twin mum eyeroll at yet another daft dual use area making life harder for everyone

Absolutely. Much better if they are separate. This is quite though so I doubt there’s much queuing and waiting going on

It's a bit odd and could have been phrased differently perhaps something along the lines of leave the facility as you would wish to find it if there's been issues with cleanliness?

This.

I hate it when the only baby change is in the disabled toilet it is so disrespectful of the needs of disabled people. Of course parents aren’t to blame for piss poor planning but they can and should be considerate that people with a variety of needs will need to use it including those with bowel and bladder issues.

Well, bear in mind that a disabled person may desperately need to get to the loo and can’t wait whereas a baby needing a nappy change is usually not urgent so, a) maybe if you’re waiting and a disabled person joins the queue behind you, let them go first, and b) don’t take too long in there

Also c) if you have to wait and then someone comes out of the toilet who doesn’t have a baby then don’t start moaning that they shouldn’t have been in there as they may have a disability and have greater need than you.

It’s not that difficult to imagine what it means and I don’t know why you would be offended.

Maybe they have had a few complaints from parents about sharing facilities? I had someone get really pissy with me once about DS (autistic) using the shared disabled bathroom. His disability is obviously hidden to an extent, but he really struggles to use a shared bathroom because of people/hand dryers and I can't accompany a 17 year old boy into the male shared bathroom to help deal with any issues that arise if someone uses a hand dryer. The mum in question had a baby and waited probably 30 seconds tops for DS to exit. She did shut up when DS started to hand flap in distress.

Its a stupid sign because they should have a different option for baby changing.. Thw venue created the problem. Both disabled and parents of babies toddlers should boycott the place. I'd put a sarcastic sign underneath in response!

As a disabled toilet user, the sign Is needed.
i’m often waiting whilst a parent is in there with two/three kids then they come out saying “we all had to pee and that toilet is big”
parents send their kids in, so they don’t have to be taken to accessible toilets upstairs.

you need to complain to the management and request they put change facilities somewhere else.

I don't know what some parents do in baby changing rooms - breastfeeding? Nap? But when my son was tiny I several times got a staff member to unlock what I took to be a locked baby change, only to find someone had been camped out in there in there for at least ten minutes, ignoring knocks on the door.

However if that is what the sign is aiming to say, they need to make it clearer.

I remember a long time ago being somewhere and waiting for the only baby change. I was waiting so long that I flagged someone down that worked there as I thought it must be either out of order and no sign, or someone might be collapsed in there. Someone was using it as a breastfeeding room. It was a breastfeeding friendly place so it's a shame they felt they needed to spend so long in a room that smelled of nappies!

Also put the bloody changing table away once you've finished with it! And yes also be as quick as poss.
I'm now a mum, but I was married to a disabled man who wouldn't have been able to get in the toilet if the table was not away & couldn't have put it away himself if he'd gone in alone.
I see this so often going in to them to change DS, people just don't think.
But really there should be a table in the ladies on a wall and also in the men's. However the logic of them in the disabled is so that the parent can go at the same time.

As a wheelchair user I’d hope it would act as a reminder to parents to put the change table back in position and to stop looping the alarm cord up - it touches the floor for a reason.
As a disabled parent it makes me wish the facility was more accessible to change my own child.

I'm not sure it is the parents looping that up, more likely staff.

I am now starting to unloop them.

I would assume there have been complaints around it being a shared facility and the sign is cheaper than actually addressing the issue of it being a shared facility.

The sign is inside the toilet; it can’t be about queuing

That's a little unfair, it's disabled people that's referred to not 'everybody else that exists'. Obviously separate facilities are desirable but not always possible in small enterprises, therefore it's meaning parents be considerate towards the disabled who frequently need the facilities more than you. Remember before these facilities existed, parents still got out and coped (uncomfortably) on their knees, tables etc whereas the repercussions for the severely disabled were much more serious and some were housebound.