Are we deceived by the accessible toilet sign in our travels? Mandy Latimore takes D a closer look at what truly makes a bathroom accessible.
During your travels, whether it is locally or internationally, we all need to make use of a toilet at some point. Part of my daily planning, if I am out and about, is to plan where there are accessible toilets so that I can keep going without having to return home to use the loo. Having planned this, how often does one arrive at a venue that advertises accessible toilets only to have non- compliance with standards we deserve?
Signage
Often there are overhead signs, but when you get to the toilet block, one can’t see whether there is a unisex cubicle or an accessible cubicle within the gents or ladies bathroom. There should be a clear international sign for disability on the door of the unisex toilet or on the door for the gents to ladies. When inside either the ladies or gents, there should be another sign on the actual cubicle door. Accessible toilet cubicle dimensions should be a minimum 1 800 mm by 1 800 mm, with international best practices at 2 200 mm by 2 400 mm. If a shower is added then they need to be enlarged.
Doors
The building codes state that designated unisex accessible cubicles should have an outward opening door with specific handles and locking mechanisms. Nine times out of ten, the automatic closer is set so strongly and the door is so heavy that you can hardly open it. Once in the cubicle, you are left (often with your eyeballs popping) desperately waiting for the door to close, while others are staring at you, wondering why you are waiting. Too often, the door opens inwards and then it’s a risk to enter.
Layouts
The standard basic layout is to place the toilet with its centreline 450 mm from the side wall so that, should there be angled grab rails on the wall, you are able to make the best use of these. There should also be 600 mm to the open side of the toilet so that a wheelchair can approach the pan. There cannot be a fixed rail on the open side as this restricts approach. The toilet should be wall-mounted and the pan height should be at a height of 480 mm with the seat making it 500 mm from the finished floor surface.
This is done so that transfers from a standard adult manual wheelchair will be as level as possible. As a wheelchair user, it is not easy to hoist the dead-weight of butt and legs up 10 centimetres onto your chair using grab rails that are not at the correct heights! Again, if there are grab rails installed, they need to be placed at the correct positions and heights relatively to the pan height so that they are able to give maximum assistance.
For hotel rooms and other hospitality wet rooms, the toilet can be placed away from a side wall, but then hinged arm supports need to be installed on both sides of the toilet so that access is not restricted to get to the toilet. The rails can be lowered and raised to suit the individual.
The reason a small basin is placed in the basic layout 250 mm from the front of the pan on the side wall is so that the person using the toilet can sanitise or wash their hands before and after adjusting clothing. There should also be a mixer situated on the side of the basin closest to the pan.
There should be a vanity shelf, but this can be a small shelf placed alongside the wall-mounted basin. Pedestal-mounted basins don’t allow easy access with wheelchairs as your feet bump into the pedestal before you can get your body close enough. The large vanities with facia boards in front of them and basins mounted on top of the vanity become extremely difficult to access.
Try rinsing your mouth while brushing your teeth sitting side on to a basin that has its height at 820 mm from the floor! You have to become an expert at spitting long distance. Tap and mixer combinations for basins should also be considered. A kitchen spout sometimes is a better option than a bathroom one. It is slightly longer and brings the water closer to the front of the basin for easy access. Mixers with some sort of handle that has an opening assists those with dexterity issues to hook a finger into the opening to control the lever.
Know your rights
It is a basic human right to be able to make use of a toilet; therefore, accessible bathrooms are required in all built facilities that offer services to the public – whether it’s a shopping centre, hotel, restaurant, places of education or places of interest. Facilities for persons with disabilities need to be in place and easy to access with good signage.
So, don’t just settle for a half adapted afterthought or places that don’t have any facilities at all. They are getting away with non-compliance and the longer we just accept this without informing the owners or managers, we will never get the facilities changed or retrofitted. It’s your right to be able to make use of accessible facilities that are compliant as well as safe. Happy Travels.
