Should we use handicap restrooms?

[John Davis]

Do you use handicap restrooms to change your diaper?  is that "fair use" if we have no other handicap?

If you can walk, have you ever exited a handicap restroom only to be glared at by the next person waiting to use it?  They sometimes deliberately look me up and down as if to say “you don’t belong here.”  I feel like I have to justify my being there.

One problem is non-visible handicaps.  No one looking at most of us could tell that we are wearing a diaper and might need to change.  We look like we are taking advantage of something to which we are not entitled.

Worse, many (perhaps most?) of the public do not view incontinence as a handicap (although many of us also are physically handicapped).

To be fair, with a little difficulty I could use a stall in a public restroom with its attendant lack of privacy and no where to set out my supplies.  However, I go to extremes to avoid that.

So, what are your thoughts on this?

—John

 

[Incont]

I do. I am a large guy and trying to change in the smaller stalls would be difficult to impossible.

[Iken]

I do and they have large enough room to do a diaper change.

[Scarth]

i do too .. they are lots easier to change in .. i do use a cane so i dont as many glares 

[MichaelD]

So the discussion about whether that is OK or not I actually already had, because there are a few wise guys who believe if I do not go in there with a wheelchair I am not allowed to...

Fortunately, this discussion is at least in Europe relatively quickly ended. Most disabled toilets are only accessible with a special key (Euro WC Key) which you can only get with a suitable disabled pass or a suitable medical certificate (chronic bowel and bladder diseases).

I usually use the toilet also because there is a sink in it and you can clean yourself.

[emily1890]

I use what ever I'm nearest too, honestly

 

a huge problem in my area is actually restrooms. apart from ones in cafes, and one in the mall, finding them is hard- and if you're not in the town, well.. you have a choice. smell the rest of the way there, or turn yourself around and get a change at home.

 

recently they had a carnival here with rides and stalls. not a single restroom in sight, not one

 

another thing they don't like here is if you enter the cafe for the simple purprose of using the restroom

 

they get funny about it and are like we're not a service station, and if everyone stopped here to use the toilet, we'd never get any food served

[Apache]

I don’t see a problem with it but I prefer to use the baby change myself

I do my changes lying down and baby changes usually have a changing bench and changing pad I can lie down on where as I'd have to lie down on the dirty floor in a disabled toilet.

And just to clarify I don't use the baby changes with plastic fold down tables, I only use baby changes with a solid changing bench like this one pictured

Another option is Changing Places 

https://www.changing-places.org/

They have adult sized changing benches and are essentially a more advanced disabled toilet with hoists and stuff, although I personally always find those places depressing so I prefer to stick with the baby change.

[John Davis]

On 6/25/2023 at 3:51 AM, MichaelD said:

So the discussion about whether that is OK or not I actually already had, because there are a few wise guys who believe if I do not go in there with a wheelchair I am not allowed to...

I guess Michael summarized my concern that, as I do not use a wheelchair, others will assume I am taking advantage of the handicap restrooms.  I have learned to just go in and leave as if I belong there (which I do).  I do feel awkward when, as I leave, someone who obviously is severely handicapped has been waiting.

--John

[MichaelD]

29 minutes ago, John Davis said:

I do feel awkward when, as I leave, someone who obviously is severely handicapped has been waiting.

 

I understand your feeling here and I also had them first - however - not every disability is visible and chronically bladder or bowel problems are a disability that give you the right to use this toilets. If really someone‘s waiting then it‘s the same as with all other toilets. Interestingly I had never problems with people who are in a wheelchair. The really agressive ones are normally elderly persons who even can walk and don’t understand that incontinence is not only restricted to elderly people… 

In such a case  I just ask them why they have a problem - I have to wear pad‘s because I can’t hold it anymore and if they can’t hold it for these minutes then they better use them too…

[Slomo]

Same, I'll use HC stalls as well. I can change in a normal stall, and have even changed in an airplane restroom, but the extra room and grab bars are always helpful. 

And yeah I've had people give disapproving looks or ask if I really need it. Just say you do, or ignore them.