6 Things Not to Do in a Disabled Toilet

If you're an able-bodied person, you probably haven't ever used a disabled toilet.

It's very similar to using a regular public toilet, to be honest - there's a loo, and a sink, and some toilet roll, if you're lucky. But an accessible loo is more than just a place to do your business. It's a vital stepping stone to independence for people with disabilities - because how could we go out in public if we didn't know there was going to be somewhere to pee?

It's an important tool which needs to be respected, at least a little bit. So here are some things you might not want to do.

#1 - USE IT WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE TO

Picture of urinals in a public toilet

In my mind, there are three basic reasons you might use an accessible toilet. a) because using the regular toilets is impossible or uncomfortable for you (in my book, this can be because of injury, disability, or not feeling welcome in gendered toilets), b) because you need to change a baby (if it's the kind with a changing table), and c) because the regular men's or women's is unusable for some reason and it's the only option.

There's a huge debate to be had about whether you should use the disabled toilet if all the others are engaged. I'm not going to pretend I am the font of all knowledge on this (as always, I can't speak for all disabled people, only myself), but I always think that if it's very close to the others, e.g. inside the same door, and it's the only one free, you're okay. Just be willing to let a disabled person go first if they come up to you while you're queuing, since some of us don't have the best bladder control.

It sounds like a lot of rules, and I don't want to frighten you. You're not going to offend the entire disability community if you use the wide stall unnecessarily by accident once - just do your best, and if you aren't a person who needs the resources in an accessible loo, treat it as a last resort.

#2 - GET ANNOYED WAITING

GIF: A small boy drums his fingers on a table

Forgive me for stating the obvious, but sometimes it takes disabled people longer to do things. Going to the toilet is one of those things. So next time you wait longer than you'd expected because, say, the ladies in Cafe Nero is out of order and everyone's using the accessible one, you might not want to spend the whole five minutes loudly murmuring to your kids about how "she's taking ages". Especially if, when the person you were referring to turns out to be in a wheelchair and apologises for the wait, you're going to say it was "no trouble at all", even though your kids are still giving said person evils and walk into the toilet with the parting shot "but you said she took ages, Mummy!"

Sorry. Small personal story edging in there - I try not to get overly annoyed in these advice posts, but that particular experience illustrates perfectly that most people regret their disability faux pas as soon as they think about them Just take the time to think, I guess. 

#3 - TIE UP THE RED CORD

Picture of a knotted red rope

If you've never been inside an accessible loo, allow me to give a brief tour. There will probably be a changing table on the wall immediately as you come in (more on that later). The toilet itself is usually in a corner, surrounded by grab bars and a fold down handrail. And next to that toilet, there will be a red alarm cord.

Whatever you do, do not touch that alarm cord. Obviously, pull it if you're in difficulty, but whatever you do, let it hang freely down to the floor. I don't care if it's irritating. I don't care if it's dangling in water. Because if you tie it up or tangle it in the fold down bar or anything else - however neat and helpful you think you're being - you are preventing a disabled person who's fallen on the floor from reaching that alarm cord and getting help.

Which is never good.

If the cord's already been tied up and you're capable of standing up / doing fiddly things, feel free to undo it! Just ... make sure you know where the reset button is before you start. I can tell you from prior experience that it's very easy to set off the alarm while fiddling around with a knot. 

#4 - LEAVE THE CHANGING TABLE DOWN

Picture of a baby lying on a bed to be changed

If you're a person in charge of changing a baby, I'm going to hasten a guess that your life is a bit frantic. You've got a lot on, and I get it. But I reckon you've probably got twenty seconds (tops) to shut and properly secure the changing table after you're finished with it.

Why? Well. Remember when I said the changing table was usually right by the door? That means that if it's left or falls open, it's going to be really difficult to get past in a wheelchair. It might even block a person from entering the room entirely - or open and crush them as they do. And yes, they can go and ask someone for help ... but that's going to take time they might not have if they're desperate for the toilet.

Also, it kind of smells.

#5 - DON'T BOTHER TO ...

Cartoon of two people in business suits shrugging

You can insert most general toilet etiquette in that ellipses and assume that it's more difficult for disabled people than the able-bodied. Changing empty loo rolls. Wiping toilet seats. Flushing. Actually, I desperately hope you're doing that anyway, but you get the picture. In an accessible toilet, something super-simple for you to do might be really difficult for the next person, and because they are used less frequently than the regular men's and women's, they aren't examined as often, either. This means a member of staff is also less likely to clean up after you - so it's extra important to be polite and do the right thing.

Sorry if I'm starting to sound like your Mum, but it had to be said.

#6 - JUDGE OTHER PEOPLE FOR USING IT

Picture of a judge's gavel

I am probably going to end up sounding like a broken record on the internet over the next ... millennia, but here goes. NOT ALL DISABILITIES ARE VISIBLE.

Yes, some people do abuse resources for disabled people. Some people use disabled toilets without thinking about whether they need it (apparently not everyone reads what I say on the internet ... what?). But those people are almost indistinguishable from people who need the accessible toilet due to an invisible disability. And ... would you want to be accosted every time you went to the loo?

No.

So, the overall message is: leave things as you found them, do things to help the next person if you can, and be nice.

Sounds like a pretty good set of rules for life, to be honest.


BUT HANG ON. I'M NOT DONE.

You remember when I said earlier that disabled toilets are an important stepping stone to independence? Well, as great as they are, they aren't enough to support everyone. Some people need a hoist, and a full-sized changing bed, and a lot of toilets that are currently thought of as accessible just don't cut it for those with complex disabilities. That's why the Changing Places initiative is so important. The toilets they are opening are effectively the next stepping stone on the road to independence, and it is incredibly important that the entire community (disabled and non-disabled) supports them, whether we need them or not.


FANCY A FREEBIE?
Now, I must confess, this is not entirely relevant to the post I've just written, but there's a reason for that. I did start designing a sign to hang on red cords reminding people to let them hang all the way to the floor, but Euan's Guide already has its amazing Red Cord Cards, so if you own or work at a building with an accessible toilet and you want to remind people to treat it properly (which would be amazing), please fill in their forms to request one. Anything I tried to make would never be as good.

Instead, I've made a few funny posters for people with disabilities and their friends and families. If that doesn't apply to you, then I'm very sorry, but at least you can laugh at the PDFs, even if you don't end up printing them to display.

(If you use a screen reader and the PDFs aren't readable for you, there are three posters. They say:

• Yes, I have a disability. No, I don't know your disabled friend.
• Yes, my friend is disabled. No, I don't know if they take sugar. Ask them.
• Yes, my wheelchair is empty. No, you can't sit in it.

***

In the comments: Do you use accessible toilets? If so, what is your biggest pet peeve? If not, have you ever wondered what it's like in there? Because honestly I don't really understand how cubicles and communal sinks work.