Disabled Toilets

Disabled Toilets

Having stopped & used motorway service stations many times I found a number of disabled toilets had a Radar Key system in use and this prevented misuse of toilets and kept toilets free for the disabled only. However, finding a member of staff who had the key was not fun as each person I asked would pointed to another area where the key could be found, eventually we got there.

Using the internet I found I could obtain my own key and use it throughout the country as many councils had Radar toilets so it seemed to make sense to purchase a key. This solution has worked well for some time now and put me at my ease when travelling around the country and without needing somebody to open them up for me.

On a recent trip I visited the Beamish Museum a place my wife and I have visited before and enjoyed, after a long day it came to using the toilet, we found the signs pointing to disabled toilets and were surprised to find a queue and non disabled persons using the (clearly marked) disabled toilet, including a member of staff.

When my wife pointed out to this member of staff that it was for the use of the disabled he moved aside and allowed me in while someone in the queue made comments about a queue and waiting in it, my wife gave him short shift.

Upon leaving I made a complaint at the desk and suggested they should look into installing a Radar unit into their toilets, the lady was very apologetic and said they would look at such a system for the future.

Well done to Beamish for listening sympathetically to me and for the response that they would look into the matter seriously (we will check next time we are visiting).

My reason for complaining was not just for the sake of it but because I find the toilets in a sorry state when every Tom Dick or Harry use them and I spend more time trying to clean down seats and bowls before I can actually use the toilet.

My recent holiday to the south coast not surprisingly involved stopping at motorway services along the route, I was taken aback a little to find disabled toilets were open to all, with no prevention of misuse and my key of little use. I convinced myself this was just a one off, no such luck it seems to be the norm - a very worrying trend me thinks.

Visiting places of interest on my holiday I found porta-loos in some places because static toilets were not available, once again I found the disabled toilets being used by all with queues outside and not a sign of shame when they saw me in my wheel chair waiting to use them, the same story – I had to clean up before use and flush everybody else’s mess away.

Another moan by this grumpy old man is the baby-changing unit inside the disabled toilet. I realise space can be paramount sometimes and extra facilities come at a cost so using the toilet makes sense BUT my first impression on opening the door is the smell, nappies in the overflowing bin stinking, making you gag and your supposed to use the toilet without holding your breath?

Next is the position of the utilities, time and again I find the sink far enough from the dryer that I have to manoeuvre my wheel chair with wet hands into position so I can turn on the dryer by this time my hands need washing again. As I back up around and again forward the baby unit takes up the space on the wall that would have allowed an easy turn. It is unacceptable to use the space in the disabled WC as an area for changing a baby.

There are specific guidelines available for the size of the WC but designers think it’s okay to fill the ‘empty space’ with additional furniture. This empty space is for manoeuvreing around.

Another one had the toilet positioned in one corner and the toilet paper on the opposite wall, it was a stretch, but I made it! Luckily my wife was in the room with me otherwise I would not have attempted it in case I fell.

Those toilets that use paper towels instead of dryers still have the same problem too far away from the sink, and guess what my pet hate of all the bin to place the towels in has a foot pedal to open the lid. Guess what? I can’t use my feet so lifting the lid with my hands leaves me needing to wash my hands again. What makes me laugh is hospitals always use pedal bins so does my doctors.

On a final note building regulations on disabled access are the same across the whole country yet it seems this is disregarded or those that monitor the regulations are not doing their job right or maybe don’t know their job properly.