To use the disabled loo to avoid sitting on turds?

[HellHathNoFury]

I was in Sainsburys earlier and in the queue for the loo. I was desperate and waited for a while. Eventually it was my turn, and this little old lady hobbled out and so I went in and saw she had left a whole actual nugget of a turd on the toilet seat.
At the back.

I am PG and it was not something I needed to see so I backed out and legged it off to the disabled loo.

When I came out I was told off by a man in a wheelchair for using the disabled loo. Couldn't be bothered to explain turd incident. Just walked off.

AIBU?

BBBB, I think you should use the loos on the ante natal floor, if the others are 2 floors below then the ones on the same floor are surely designed for use by all the pregnant women there? I wouldn't worry about it. I'm not sure about all this accessible/disabled thing, I just know as a disabled person that disabled toilets can be a godsend and I am thankful for them, but I'm never going to get huffy if a pg mum/ mum with pram uses one. Would be great though if there were designated toilets for parent and child with room and nappy change areas, but hey, that's in an ideal world. We're a heck of a lot better off than a lot of places.

Oh for... I meant that "Disabled" toilets aren't "Disabled" toilets, they're "Accessible" toilets! I was trying to point out that there is no difference between the two because disabled toilets don't exist!

I'm disabled too and I can't use all toilets, I'm not stupid enough to think every single cubicle in the country is usable by everyone!

Bonneville it's not PC, it's because they're not there just for the disabled they are accessible for people who need them.

Exactly Grendle.

The 'disabled' toilet in the arcade on Brighton Pier has a big sign on it, saying that it is for disabled people only.

A "disabled" toilet is one that is not working. An accessible toilet is one that is designed to be accessible to people with a much wider range of abilities and disabilities than most public toilets.

RADAR key toilets are locked to prevent vandalism - not to keep able-bodied people out. Anyone can buy a RADAR key. You can only buy one VAT-free if you are prepared to declare that you have a disability (on pain of HMRC penalties for making false declarations).

From the RADAR website:-

"RADAR would like all providers of accessible toilets to keep their toilets unlocked if at all possible. The NKS is suggested for use only if the provider concerned has to keep the toilets locked to stop vandalism and misuse.

RADAR makes no profit in supplying keys but needs to make a small charge to cover the costs of supply. RADAR is obliged by law to add VAT to these charges. In order to receive a key free of VAT an individual must provide their name and address or that of the person who will use the key and make the following declaration in the comments box on checkout:

"I declare that I/the individual name above is chronically sick or has a disabling condition and is eligible to claim VAT relief for disabled people. The key for accessible toilets being ordered is for my/their domestic and personal use only"."

The proprietors of the toilets at Brighton Pier might be within their rights but could also find themselves facing awkward questions about how they intend to enforce their policy - there has been plenty of discussion on this thread about invisible/less obvious disabilities.

It is interesting that RADAR themselves choose the term 'accessible toilets'. Perhaps this is because they themselves recognise that people who may benefit from regularly using such facilities go beyond the group of the population eligble to be registered disabled?

Indeed, there must be plenty of people who are registered disabled but have a disability that means that they have no need of an accessible toilet. My friend with heart failure would be one good example.

Perhaps providers of such toilets are also recognising the broader needs of their customers by installing facilities such as changing units in them in recognition of the fact that those with a nappy to change also often have a buggy or one or more small children to control at the same time?

My understanding of the law is that organisations are required to provide facilities that are accessible to disabled people, not that they are required to provide facilities dedicated solely for their use (unlike parking spaces). The focus is on ensuring there is a suitable provision to meet people's needs.

I must say, I am a little shocked that some are less than understanding to people without a registered disability who may have a perfectly legitimate need to use an accessible toilet -and no, I am not talking about those who cannot be bothered to walk 2 paces to the ordinary loo next door!

Apropos of something you said, Grendle, just what does anyone understand is meant nowadays by "registered disabled". This has always puzzled me - I've worked in social work (as an OT) for 16 years and have never encountered any system of registration. Is it not the case that this is, to all intents and purposes, an obsolete concept?

Is there a register of who can use 'disabled' toilets? For example, my PILs have a blue badge both for their dd who has multiple disabilities and FIL who is a carer with heart problems. He wouldn't need any special toilet, nor would SIL who is rarely out and is in incontinence pads. BUT someone with a stoma might need a bit of time and space? Like misdee's post last week when her family was reported using a wheelchair space, not everyone who needs more facilities in a cubicle 'looks' a certain way.

stleger read back a few posts, I think you'll find yor answer.