Disabled toilets? They probably are
Many of them are certainly disabling. We really should be saying ‘accessible Washrooms’. Apart from being more accurate, it reminds us that they need to be exactly that – Accessible – so that disabled people are enabled to retain their dignity and independence whilst doing what all of us take for granted.
Recent evidence shows that many supposedly accessible washrooms neither comply with the guidance in The Building Regulations, Approved Document 2015, nor do they meet British Standard BS 8300-2009. Some are just difficult to use but some are actually quite dangerous.
It may be difficult to appreciate exactly why some of the features provided in an accessible washrooms are required and how important their positioning is. This note provides an explanation of some of the issues but it does not attempt to replace the excellent and much more comprehensive guidance provided in BS8300 of the Building Regulations, in accordance with which all accessible washrooms should be designed.
What may appear to be a small and insignificant detail to some may pose a real element of difficulty or even danger to a disabled person. And remember not to think only of wheelchair users. Accessible washrooms are useful for a broad range of people who are either permanently or temporarily disabled. The guidance in the Building Regulations and in BS8300 is based on many years of research and needs to be followed exactly because all of the requirements are important to someone.
To fully understand the importance of the requirements, you must put yourself in the position of a disabled person when answering the following questions.
A. The seat of a standard wheelchair is approximately 480mm above floor level. Standard washroom pans are around 430mm to the top of the seat. It may be possible to slide
off of the wheelchair and drop onto the toilet seat. Getting back onto the wheelchair is a different matter. Even with good upper body strength, it is practically impossible for most
people to raise themselves up by around 50mm and across by 600mm using arm strength alone.
The likelihood is that, having reached the toilet, you will be fully committed to using it so you go ahead and transfer from your wheelchair to the Washroom. You are then faced with a couple of possibilities, neither of them attractive.
- You can pull the alarm cord for assistance (assuming there is one and you can reach it) and hope that there is someone monitoring the alarm.
- You want to be independent and don’t want to cause a fuss so you try to transfer back to your wheelchair. So you pluck up the courage, try to launch yourself from the toilet seat across onto your wheelchair and only make it half way. You and your wheelchair topple over near the far wall where there is no alarm. What happens next? One can only imagine.
A. Some disabled people need to wash their hands first before rearranging their clothing and transferring back to their wheelchair. To find out for yourself how important the position of the basin is, whilst sitting on a chair, lift your legs off the ground, stretch your arms out in front of you and see how far you can reach forward without losing your balance. You will find it is not very far. The basin and the tap really must be in the positions shown in the Building Regulations and BS diagrams. Disabled toilets? They probably are
1/3 The photograph below shows the correct positioning of a basin with the tap fitted on the corner nearest the Washroom. The corner tap position shown also helps people who may need to rinse out a bottle or container.
A. The flush lever should be on the open side of the cistern (not on the wall side).You should be able to flush it using a hand, an elbow, or any other part of the body. Some people do it with their chin. If it is not on the open side, it will be impossible to reach
from a wheelchair