Top 5: Things you find in accessible bathrooms

Going to the toilet is a universal human experience - we’ve all got to empty our bladders. But how we relieve ourselves and what we require to do that with dignity is a bit different for everyone. A nice accessible bathroom is definitely in the top tier of the toilet pyramid (portaloos, long drops and squat toilets are obviously at the bottom). 

In an accessible toilet cubicle there’s extra space to move around and hang your belongings. It’s more roomy if you get claustrophobic and often there’s a big mirror to check yourself out. But this apparent abundance of space means many business owners seem to mistake their accessible toilets for storage areas. In a lifetime of using the accessible loos, I’ve discovered many other things that find their way there besides an actual toilet and they’re things I don’t really want to see when I just need to go pee.

5. Mops

Most disabled bathrooms in restaurants also act as the cleaning closet. Mops, broomsticks and buckets of cleaning products are a common sight in the bigger bathroom. It’s a common situation: I’ve just finished a delicious meal and I go to the bathroom before paying the bill. As I swing the door open, I’m welcomed by dirty, dripping mop heads and a bad stink. You’d think it would smell clean because of the, um, cleaning products, but these ones just always smell bad.

4. Restaurant staff’s personal belongings

If the accessible bathroom is not being used as a cleaning storage cupboard, it’s being used as the staff locker room. 

Recently I had dinner at a fancy restaurant on Ponsonby Rd in Auckland and I had high expectations for the accessible bathroom. I imagined marble floors and individual little towels to dry your hands with – the true sign of no expense spared. It was one of those restaurants where the waiter offers you still or sparkling water and I respond with ‘the free tap water, please’.

However because the regular bathrooms were upstairs I was directed to the accessible bathroom, which was through the kitchen. I waved to the chefs preparing the food as I was guided through, and once I was in the toilet, I settled in with a bunch of their coats and backpacks. Order coming up of an accessible bathroom and wardrobe on the side? Yes Chef!

3. Too many rubbish bins

Two bins – a regular bin and a sanitary bin – should be the standard number of rubbish bins in a bathroom. Unfortunately I’ve been in bathrooms with three, four, five bins of different persuasions. I’d be inclined to say that lots of rubbish bins in the accessible toilet is worse than a bunch of mops. That’s because usually the mops are leaning against the wall, whereas bins take up a lot of floor space. I don’t want to be touching grubby bins so I can fit my wheelchair in the bathroom.

2. Used condoms

Give humans some private space that’s bigger than a usual toilet in an otherwise public area and apparently it’s a clear invitation for… sex. Well I’m here to say, unfortunately horndogs, people use those toilets and would quite like a hygienic space. We will also be waiting when you both crawl outside. I can’t believe I have to explain publicly that you should not be banging in the bathroom because someone who actually requires it to go to the toilet but there we go. 

The first time I found a condom floating in a toilet bowl - yeah they left it in there! - was when I was travelling in Australia, so maybe it’s an Australian thing? It was one of those extra spacious accessible bathrooms, bigger than my bedroom in my flat. I can’t remember if I tried to flush it down before going pee, but all I could do was gag thinking about what had happened in that bathroom before me. Have some respect people, if not just for future disabled people using that bathroom, but for yourselves!

1. Nondisabled people

As we all know, not all people who require the use of a mobility toilet have a visible disability! 

However, we’ve all seen the nondisabled walk of shame when you’ve been waiting outside the disabled toilet - cough Aaron Smith cough - but I’ve also seen nondisabled people inside the actual disabled bathroom because they haven’t locked the door. 

My eyeballs are still scarred from the time I swung a disabled bathroom door open and there was a guy sitting on the toilet mid-poo. After that incident, I quickly shut the door and ran away to another bathroom. 

The other time there was a guy lying on the floor of the bathroom who looked at me in panic as I opened the door and quickly slammed it in face. I’m still left with so many questions?

These horror stories are a PSA to all bathroom users - disabled and nondisabled - to please lock the door when you go to the bathroom.