Am I the only one who doesn’t like the handicapped stall? I don’t like how the toilet is somewhat higher up. (I’m short). So I only use it if no others are available.
I also don’t get why they don’t install lift bars in the other stalls – it would make sense for those who don’t need all the space, but still need an aid getting up.
This.
If someone is in the bathroom using a wheelchair or walker, I’m not going to race ahead of them to the New York apartment-sized stall at the end. Still, if I’m at a rest stop, and the usual crowd of travelers is making their way through, I’m going for the handicapped stall at the end first. I don’t want to be in some stall between a couple of grizzled truckers loudly grunting away, dropping deuces like they’re B-17 bombardiers releasing their payload over Dresden, if I have the choice to be in a nice, quiet corner of the restroom. Also, the handicapped stall is usually much cleaner than those sullied throughout the day by the aftermath of Flying J all-you-can-eat meatloaf.
Also, what if the handicapped stall is the only stall? Does that mean I have to back my ass up to the urinal or sink to mach ein Sheiß, in case there’s the worse-odds-than-winning-a-Powerball-jackpot chance someone will some wheeling in on their Invacare demanding their rightful spot on the throne like they’re motherfucking Joffrey Baratheon?
Exactly. And since we’ve had this thread so often, I’ll play the next move just to knock it down. It’s my strawman for the day:
“But, you can’t always tell if someone is disabled by looking at them!”
True. But my experience is like RitterSport’s: I have literally never, ever, in 34 years of using toilets (I assume I was in diapers until at least 2 years old) come out of a stall - regular or handicapped - to find someone waiting for the handicap stall when other stalls are open. I’ve never made anyone wait, ever, unless it was one of those theater lines where everyone was waiting for *any *stall to open.
And, Mr. Strawman, yeah, you’re right - you can’t always tell if someone is disabled by looking at them. So how the hell do you know that the people you’re complaining about using the handicapped stall don’t need it? Broken arm, claustrophobia, obesity, muscle weakness, balance issues - all of those are “handicaps” when it comes to using the regular stalls, too! They’re not “wheelchair only” stalls, they’re “wheelchairs users can use these” stalls.
Bah. I’m just so bored with this debate. Has anyone’s mind ever been changed by one of these threads, in either direction?
I always assumed the handicapped stall was more ‘germy’. (If such a thing matters at that point.)
But the OP does sound like he has a chip on his shoulder, yeah.
We have two stalls at the office: a handicap-accessible one, and a ‘normal’-sized one. (Actually, smaller than normal.)
But there’s no way for a handicapped person to get up the stairs to the office. There used to be a stair chair (one of those chairs that runs on a track up the stairs) but it’s broken. The track is still there, but the chair has been removed. In any case, how would a handicapped person get his wheelchair up? The building was built in the 'teens or '20s, I think. We are not open to the public.
But the bathrooms are accessible once you’re up there.
Me, too - can’t stand higher seats. I swear, there have been a couple where when I’m seated my feet don’t reach the floor.
I don’t know about that, but I did read somewhere that the first stall is usually the cleanest – because for some reason, people tend to avoid it.
Well, in the bathroom on my floor, for a while anyway, the first stall was closest to the mirrors and had a big space between the wall and the door. So, it was pretty easy to seen the people washing their hands while on the throne, and pretty easy for them to see you. That’s why people avoided it on my floor.
(Since then, the space has been tightened up, so it’s not quite as bad)
So, what are we at – 98 for using the stall, two against? I think the motion has passed.
As a general rule, I don’t use the handicapped stall if I have another option. If it’s my only option, I"m there. I’m a tall guy myself, but I find regular stalls are usable, if a bit snug at times. I’ve never seen a handicapped person waiting for the handicapped stall, but then, I wouldn’t typically, as I rarely use them.
Not every handicapped person uses a wheelchair. It is possible to be handicapped enough to need the bigger stall or grab bars or higher toilet yet still manage to negotiate stairways
So what if there were no “people in wheelchairs” or other “access-compromised” folks out there in the world? What if everyone out and about in the functioning world were able-bodied? What if they were all like you? Then there would never be any “handicap stalls” in these bathrooms ever in the first place. Every single stall would be the “awful, inconvenient, tight, cramped” regular stalls. What would you do then? Use the regular stalls all the time. It’s only due to the fact that there ARE people in wheelchairs and people with other disabilities that are part of the working/functioning world that has made those “big, convenient” stalls a possibility for you, the able-bodied, to be able to enjoy at all. And I know everyone thinks I have a “major chip on my shoulder” and what not, but that’s not the case. Every single other person in a wheelchair that I know feels EXACTLY the same way as I do regarding this issue. I merely am willing to stick my neck out there and speak up. And can you really blame others for not wanting to go through what I go through with this? It’s not just here, it’s everywhere. Alot of people (by no means everyone though) simply can’t (or more likely don’t WANT) to see the situation for what it really is.
Access does not mean exclusive use
For someone who is too proud to let a stewardess push them to the bathroom, you certainly demand a lot of society.
Where in the WORLD did you get the idea that I was asking for exclusive use?
The “situation” is that, sometimes, when you use a public restroom, you might have to wait a couple minutes to get into a stall. Just like every other person on the face of this planet.
You do realize, right, that sometimes able-bodied people also have to wait for a stall to open up? And that, sometimes, able bodied people also have an emergency situation where they need a stall right-damn-now? Because as often as you play the “you don’t know what it’s like” card, I’m telling you, everybody in this thread knows what it’s like to wait desperately for a stall to open up.
I’m confused that you are confused. From your OP -
You are effectively asking people to forebear any use of the handicapped stall unless there is absolutely no other option available. This is pretty close to asking that access to he handicapped stall be exclusively reserved for the mobility impaired even if the normal everyday probability of there being a mobility impaired person waiting to use the stall is miniscule.
You didn’t read my OP clearly.
Huge difference from “exclusive use”. And see my previous post from before the one you just quoted. And who determines this “probability” you talk about?
For many bathrooms there is no difference. At my work, we have three stalls and multiple urinals. Over the past 13 years I have been working there, I could count the number of times that all three stalls were in use simultaneously one one hand. You are functionally asking that we reserve the most comfortable stall for exclusive use against the possibility that a handicapped individual might need to use it. A possibility that is so rare, that in 13 years I have never encountered it. I think that is unreasonable.
Your argument is more reasonable for some venues. But a blanket description that all handicapped stalls should be stalls of last resort in every instance seems unreasonable.
Well, in the case of my office area, I do. And, there are no people who need the handicapped stall on my floor, so there is zero probability that anyone will need it. You’re asking us to not use that stall, which means it would get no use.
And, thank you for needing the larger stall – I like it that way, especially with the higher seat. And, you know what? Sometimes I walk up a ramp instead of the stairs, so thank you for that as well. And, my kids appreciate that the elevator buttons are lower now – they can fight over who gets to press them. In the olden days, they wouldn’t be able to reach the higher ones. Thanks for that, too! And, closed-captioning is great for a little help with those heavy British accents sometimes. Thanks!
It’s true that many of those changes are due to the ADA and other similar laws. That’s why the accessible bathroom is there. But, now that it’s there, it’s open to anyone. Yes, you get priority, but until I see someone waiting, I’m waltzing in. Well, sometimes, I might tango.
Heck, I may even do the Bartman!
Ok, let me revise my argument. I think some good points were made. In the settings such as office settings where it is known that no one will need priority of that stall, then yes, my request would be silly. Perhaps a blanket statement is not appropriate. Consider it applicable to 1) work setting where a disabled person(s) is employed 2) public establishments which serve the general public