# Two-handed paper towel dispensers and disabled people

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-handed-paper-towel-dispensers-and-disabled-people/200032>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 7, 2003, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-handed-paper-towel-dispensers-and-disabled-people/200032 "2003-09-07T02:38:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Chris\_Luongo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Chris\_Luongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chris_Luongo)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-handed-paper-towel-dispensers-and-disabled-people/200032/1 "2003-09-07T02:38:26Z")

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I’ve seen a lot of public restrooms with paper towel dispensers that require you to pull the towel firmly down with two hands, and you only get about a 12" length of towel each time. There’s also a hand crank on the side for use when the towels get stuck inside, but it’s hard to grasp and requires a lot of force to turn.

I assume the idea is to prevent people from pulling out more towel than they need, which may be a good idea. But what about people with disabilities?

As an experiment, I turned one hand sideways and could still pull the towel down. But I have long hands, they’re reasonably strong, and I was standing up. I would imagine that if I only had one weak or small hand available, or I were seated in a wheelchair, getting the towel would be nearly impossible.

Questions:

1. Are these things really legal for public restrooms?

2. Are any disabled-rights groups lobbying against them?

3. Disabled people here: How do you feel about them?

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**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-handed-paper-towel-dispensers-and-disabled-people/200032/2 "2003-09-07T03:12:34Z")

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Interesting question. I’m not disabled, but I would guess that this is just one more of the many daily hassles that people in wheelchairs have to deal with. I would guess that one would have to learn to bring one’s own towels or would have to ask another restroom patron to get a towel for you.

I learned to have more appreciation of things like this the first time I was wheeling a baby stroller around and discovered how many places a person who had only wheels could not get to.