# I pit handicap stalls that open inward. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 30, 2012, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520 "2012-05-30T06:35:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/1 "2012-05-30T06:35:43Z")
They make **no** sense and are not actually ‘accessible’ for someone using a wheelchair (which is what the design of the stall is supposed to be based around). If someone using a chair wanted to use such a stall, they would be forced to sit on the toilet with the fucking door flung wide open with the wheelchair sticking halfway out of the stall. They _defeat_ the purpose of accessible stalls when the only fuckers who can use them are able-bodied people who really don’t need 'em in the first place. :smack: (Ok, I know not all access-impeding disabilities involve a wheelchair or other large device but many do). I encounter these works of thoughtlessness on a fairly regular basis. Today was one of those days. The entire mall that I was in had not one ‘accessible’ stall that didn’t feature an inward-swinging door. Fuckin’ A. Such a silly mistake and so easy to remedy (and hopefully it will be remedied, I got the number of the mall managment and am calling tomorrow). That concludes my rant. Fairly weak for Pit standards, I know, but I needed to vent. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/2 "2012-05-30T06:45:24Z")
I pit all stalls that have inward opening doors. Especially the ones with about one inch of clearance between the door and the toilet. Yes, the door will swing open and shut…if nobody is in the stall! But that clearance is where the person is going to have to stand. I also pit stalls that don’t have a place to hang your coat and/or bag. Are we supposed to put our stuff on the (often filthy and/or damp) floor? What’s really aggravating is when it’s apparent that the coat hooks have been installed at one point, but have been removed. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/3 "2012-05-30T07:08:07Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I also pit stalls that don’t have a place to hang your coat and/or bag. Are we supposed to put our stuff on the (often filthy and/or damp) floor? What’s really aggravating is when it’s apparent that the coat hooks have been installed at one point, but have been removed. I was told that the hooks were removed because thieves would come into the bathroom and grab purses off of the hooks while the owner was, er, indisposed. Kinda hard to chase a purse snatcher with your jeans around your ankles! ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/4 "2012-05-30T07:15:01Z")
What do you do? Have you considered changing careers and joining the millions of successful people at Lyone- No, wait, better not speak its name or spammers will come a-running. Seriously, though, you put a heck of a lot of effort advocating for handicap issues. Not only here, but to businesses’ management and the occasional person you meet (often, it seems, in a parking lot). Between posting here, writing there, and some other verb I can’t think of in some other place that would make this list nice and rounded, you put a lot of time and effort into the field. I really don’t remember much else about you, so forgive if this has been done before or it’s redundant with what you already do. Do you love your current job/profession. Love love _love_ it? Go to work singing a merry tune and have to tear yourself away? If not, what the fuck are you doing at your job when you clearly have a calling (in the general, hyperbolic sense, not the religious woo sense) to work as an advocate or some other occupation that would fit the context and improve this sentence. I don’t mean penny ante bullshit blogging or regular posting. That’s important and all, but given your output here and what you talk about in meatspace, you should be doing this full time. There is absolutely no excuse for you not to find work in any field that applies whatever skills you have to lobbying, bureaucratic assistance, information clearning, etc. Opportunities are legion. Go to [idealist.org](http://idealist.org) for one source of non-profit jobs that fill every nook and cranny (disclosure: we both advertise on idealist and have found clients from there. Notwithstanding that, it’s an excellent Web site for finding work). If you have to be a special little snowflake, go to Kickstarter with an idea. You can pick a thousand little battles to fight and post about here. Or you can commit to making a change that will dwarf everything you’ve done up to this point. I’m sorry to hijack your 6,468 thread about an injustice. If you already work in the field, please let me know so I can put this post into my time machine and send it to your younger self so it will would have by now had its proper effect. ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/5 "2012-05-30T07:36:08Z")
Quite a few of the handicapped toilets I’ve seen the inside of have not been stalls at all. Though I understand some buildings have space constraints, it’d be nice if they did actually accommodate wheelchairs. Maybe a curtain of some sort? ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/6 "2012-05-30T10:04:14Z")
Seriously, this sounds like it SHOULD be covered by regulation – if theres no regulation about what counts as disabled accessable toilet there should be, and if it doesnt specify “able to enter with wheelchair (and probably helper)” it should do. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/7 "2012-05-30T13:10:18Z")
I agree that inward opening doors on bathroom stalls is an inconvenience - and not a minor one. Has anyone complaining about that situation considered _why_ inward opening doors are the norm, however? If the door opens outward, there’s a rather large risk of injury to people walking by outside the stall when it opens suddenly, and without warning. (Yes, this could be gotten around, for most people, if we could expect that people would announce that they’re about to open a door, but I think the odds of being able to expect that from even the majority of bathroom users is pretty poor.) The solution, ISTM, would be to use some variety of a pocket door, or even a non-pocket sliding door, but that’s going to significantly increase the cost compared to a normal installation, and such doors have problems with maintenance and durability - something that is already an issue in public bathroom stalls. It’s not insoluble, but it’s not going to be the quick fix that the OP thinks, I don’t believe. Liability issues for outward opening doors from bathroom stalls are such that I don’t believe that any management company is going to be eager to simply reverse how the door opens. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/8 "2012-05-30T13:59:49Z")
On the other hand, if you get one of those stalls where the latch is broken it’s a hell of a lot easier to hold it closed if it’s an inward opening one. (I do see how that’s awful in the handicap stall for wheelchair users, though. This is a reasonable rant.) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/9 "2012-05-30T14:09:14Z")
I agree that all toilet stalls should have outward-swinging doors, regardless of whether they are meant to be wheelchair accessible. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/10 "2012-05-30T14:12:29Z")
I dunno, every handicap stall I’ve ever noticed has been HUGE. An inward-swinging door, would still leave plenty of room for chair. In fact, isn’t that how one determines the stall is handicapped-designated? Aside from that, if it is a normal sized stall, I certainly understand your anger. mmm ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/11 "2012-05-30T14:26:47Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I also pit stalls that don’t have a place to hang your coat and/or bag. Are we supposed to put our stuff on the (often filthy and/or damp) floor? What’s really aggravating is when it’s apparent that the coat hooks have been installed at one point, but have been removed. I brought this up in Pit rant several years ago. Several Dopers told me to use the little cubby holes behind the toilet. When I said that I’ve never seen one of those, several people told me to wake up and just look, because every single stall in the known universe has one. From that point on I look every single time. I have never seen such a thing. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/12 "2012-05-30T14:28:51Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I dunno, every handicap stall I’ve ever noticed has been HUGE. Sure, but they’re wider, not longer. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/13 "2012-05-30T14:28:54Z")
Juh? Are inward-swinging doors really that big of a deal for anyone who can just back up when the door opens? I get McGarry’s gripe, for once, but the rest of yous guys? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/14 "2012-05-30T14:30:28Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I dunno, every handicap stall I’ve ever noticed has been HUGE. An inward-swinging door, would still leave plenty of room for chair. > > In fact, isn’t that how one determines the stall is handicapped-designated? I’ve seen some that are not huge, but have the bars on the sides. > [@tdn](#): > > I brought this up in Pit rant several years ago. Several Dopers told me to use the little cubby holes behind the toilet. When I said that I’ve never seen one of those, several people told me to wake up and just look, because every single stall in the known universe has one. > > From that point on I look every single time. I have never seen such a thing. I have never seen any such “cubby holes” either. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/15 "2012-05-30T14:31:49Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Juh? Are inward-swinging doors really that big of a deal for anyone who can just back up when the door opens? I get McGarry’s gripe, for once, but the rest of yous guys? I’ve definitely been in some stalls where there was only a few inches clearance between the toilet and the door. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/16 "2012-05-30T14:40:52Z")
Move to the side? And how common is this that it is difficult for you to stand out of the way of the door? I ask because this has happened to me precisely zero times, other than when I’m carrying luggage at the airport. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/17 "2012-05-30T14:46:36Z")
I frequent a certain Thai restaurant pretty often. The men’s room is so tiny that I almost have to stand on the toilet to close the door. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/18 "2012-05-30T14:46:48Z")
In non-handicapped stalls I’ve seen it often enough that there’s no room to the side. Granted, I"m morbidly obese, but the arrangement of these stalls seems to me that they’d be challenging for anyone to comfortably open or close. ETA: I’m talking those stalls that often have less than about six inches side clearance around the throne itself. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/19 "2012-05-30T14:53:39Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Move to the side? And how common is this that it is difficult for you to stand out of the way of the door? I ask because this has happened to me precisely zero times, other than when I’m carrying luggage at the airport. I’ve been in a couple of stalls where I had to straddle the toilet to get out of the way of the door enough to let it close - not often, but it’s certainly happened. I mean, I have a WTF?? moment and straddle and get on with it, but I can certainly attest that some architects have designed the stall so tightly both in length and width that moving to the side to allow the door to close is not an option - either standing around, or on top of the toilet is the only way to shut it. For the OP - yah, that’s ridiculous. Like really, really stupid. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520/20 "2012-05-30T14:55:35Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I brought this up in Pit rant several years ago. Several Dopers told me to use the little cubby holes behind the toilet. When I said that I’ve never seen one of those, several people told me to wake up and just look, because every single stall in the known universe has one. > > From that point on I look every single time. I have never seen such a thing. Dafuq? 😕 I’ve never even \*heard \*of a bathroom having cubby holes behind the throne. Glory holes, maybe, but I’m not putting my purse there … I would have thought that local and/or standardized building code would cover this sort of thing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-handicap-stalls-that-open-inward/623520.md?page=2)