Inclusive Disabled toilets

[RiverLen]

At a petrol service station on Saturday, saw my first Inclusive Toilet with a sign like the one below.

As it’s ‘Inclusive’, does it means that anyone can use it. From a slightly tongue-in-cheek angle, does this mean I can skip the long coach party queue queuing for the ladies toilets, and now use the disable loo? Isn’t this not good for any disabled person wanting to use the toilet if anyone can now use it?

I appreciate that companies are trying to ‘solve’ the trans issue of a third space, and can’t magic up a new toilet in an existing building, so using the disabled toilet to double up seems a rational solution. However, is this at a loss for the disabled communuty?

It is a huge loss to disabled people who may need quick access to a toilet facility. Mens feelz should not over ride people physical disabilities.

Yes, it’s absolutely screwing over the disabled community who had to campaign for disabled toilets - which are already used by people who fancy some extra space/want to change their clothes; or businesses put the only baby change in there so it’s (through no fault of the parents!) a battle with the prams. It’s never at the right height for wheelchair users to change their babies, obviously, that’s not why it’s there; & I obviously don’t mean a set-up like a Changing Places toilet; just the regular baby change being in the disabled loo when it’s not a case of there being only the one loo for everyone.

Lots of people who need to use the disabled loo require more time in there than an abled person takes. Whether that’s transferring in & out of wheelchair; dealing with a catheter (whether ISC, using a flip-flo, or emptying a bag); emptying an ostomy bag; needing more time on the loo due to any number of health conditions; having to change incontinence products & clean up (showering, if one’s available); needing to rinse soiled items & change clothes… or anything else. Not everyone who needs to use the disabled loo needs to do any/all of those things any/all of the time; but they’re not dramatic outlier examples either.

Casually opening a hard-won space up to everyone who fancies using it is just shitting all over disabled people. A group whose human rights actually ARE breached on the regular by our government; & who do not enjoy enormous corporate support for Disability Pride Month. Nor do we see the Disability Pride flag flown from government buildings etc.

One might almost think that some protected characteristics are more protected than others.

I'm going to be generous here and suggest that it means that the toilet is a disabled toilet that is available for men, women or anybody who does gender.

@NitroNine I think you have captured this beautifully. I do not have a disability myself but think this is a kick in the teeth for people with disabilities who often have a fight to even get access to appropriate bathrooms in the first place

“men, women or anybody who does gender.”

ie everyone?

That would be my interpretation.

We have them in the service station I work. They mean that they can use them if they are uncomfortable using the general toilets

Provided that they are disabled.

So you think they’re for disabled people only? If so, then why have the trans logo on them?

As I said, I was being generous in my interpretation.

I understand the rationale behind it. However, The majority of women, for example, wear trousers at some point, so what’s to stop them using these toilets. If you say ‘they’re not trans’, then who decides? Why can’t Robyn from accounts decide that day (or hour) to be known as Robin, and use the toilets? And if you say that can’t use them, then that’s not very inclusive.

I noticed this at my local leisure centre too. The previously disabled / accessible loo (which incidentally also has the baby change) now has a gender neutral sign too.

I did look at the door and think what impact that could have on someone who really needed an accessible toilet.

They are for anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable using the men’s or ladies toilets.

im disabled, in a wheelchair, out shopping with my son and two granddaughters 4 and 6, son went into the men’s, and of course the girls chose that moment to be desperate so I said no problem I do too so took them into the disabled loo with me. Not the first time I’ve done this. We have it down to a fine art now 😂😂. When I came out, yes I suppose we were in there 5 minutes or so, but 3 wee’s and hand washing !, a man was waiting to go in, he had a right go at me for taking so long. I apologised, he could have medical issues 🤷🏼‍♀️, so understanding I had kept him waiting. But he had a right go, said it was his right not to have to use the men’s and he wasn’t allowed in the ladies, I shouldn’t have taken the girls in with me.

makes me nervous if out with the girls again, was I wrong , my son says no

No you were fine. You had the right to go in there, and your grandchildren are young. You did nothing wrong. Also, as explained in the post above, disabled people can take longer for a number of reasons - so you could have taken them in with you rather than leave them outside, whilst you did your business.

He was rude and in the wrong.

I can't imagine having a go at anyone coming out of a toilet, least of all someone in a wheelchair who is 'obviously disabled'

I try not to judge because of hidden disabilities etc but the fact you clearly have a need means that guy was extra out of order for saying that to you.

Mummumgem · Yesterday 21:50

When I came out, yes I suppose we were in there 5 minutes or so, but 3 wee’s and hand washing !, a man was waiting to go in, he had a right go at me for taking so long.

Just a general, able-bodied man? Why did he need to use the disabled toilets? He didn't and even if he was disabled, he had no right to speak to you like that.

No you weren’t wrong. You are in a wheelchair. I use a walking stick. sometimes I feel fine to use the average toilet. Some days I’m dizzy and unbalanced and the disabled toilet is a better choice. I’d take my little granddaughters, or little grandsons if they were with me, into the disabled toilet too.

Some disabilities are not visual, as you mentioned. Someone may be emptying a bag. Who knows? We shouldn’t have to explain ourselves.

I think when you’re using the disabled loo for yourself it makes perfect sense - & in many cases is the only possible solution - to have any [very] small humans you’re looking after use it [then] too.

Hard enough navigating my ample arse round some women's toilets let alone a wheelchair. What on earth did he expect you to do?

Often people who need to use an accessible toilet need to do so urgently and in comfort. A big line forming outside gender neutral/accessible/baby changing toilet is going to be spectacularly unhelpful for everyone really.

Did anyone watch the Barbie movie? When Mattel CEO made a speech about how they'd tried to make Mattel more inclusive and introduced gender neutral toilets. If you heard someone guffawing/choking in the cinema - it was me.

@NitroNineThat's fine, as long as the parent or person with the children is actually disabled. Sometimes people who aren't will take small children who are of the opposite sex to them into the disabled, possibly because they don't want the children to be in the wrong bathroom. So they're pretty much using it as like a "family room" would be. But then they could be tying it up for when someone actually disabled comes along to use it.

If this leads to more places putting in a third space toilet, I'd like to think it might lead to more loos that are accessible to more people.

This only works if places introduce a lockable single cubical which is bigger than usual etc, but I'd like to hope that the greater demand for such a space will tip them into being practical for more places.

DS (just 13) looked at the image in the OP and said 'That's not inclusive, it's intrusive!' I think he's hit the nail on the head.
But just as I was thinking he was being quite mature, he showed me the image below. Sorry to lower the tone

All toilets should be neutral, plus at least one for those with a disability.

Sod that! I’m uncomfortable using any public toilet, that doesn’t mean I’d co-opt a toilet specifically for people with disabilities. Last time I looked, having hurt feels isn’t an actual disability.

Why?