I'm supposed to reach the loo roll how?

[lisy_babe]

I'm supposed to reach the toilet paper how?, originally uploaded by Lisy Babe.

The photo is of a toilet that looks fairly accessible at first glance: By which I mean there are several colour-contrasted handrails visible. Then you notice the toilet roll dispenser several feet higher. Where the toilet roll holder should be is a hand dryer. I did wonder if I was supposed to blow dry my ladybits.

I had to stand up to reach the toilet paper (and that was a struggle, but then when standing I'm still only 4'10") and, of course, a lot of wheelchair users can't stand up.

Comments

[codeman38]

...Why is the hand dryer placed there? And not, say, closer to the sink? Then you might actually be able to lower the toilet paper dispenser... ::shakes head::

[jesse_the_k]

ZOMG that is the most over-accessorized toilet ever! The waste pipe running parallel and below the wall-mounted grab bar is a very tempting thing to hold on to, but it probably would break if I put my weight on it to do a transfer.

And how would someone transfer sideways from a wheelchair. Does the grab bar sticking out of the wall hinge up out of the way? If not, the sink would block a wheelchair from getting close at all.

[jackandahat]

" Does the grab bar sticking out of the wall hinge up out of the way?"

I don't know about that one, but in England they're a pretty common feture, and yeah - they're on a hinge and drop down. Which was a surprise the first time I saw one "Up", thought it was fastened there, and lent on it...

[roserodent]

Oh yeah, they are common in the UK, thought that was the case everywhere - what do you have in the rest of the world then?

See, I need the rail down to swivel transfer, but I cannot push it up to unlock it to pull it down until I am out of my chair, which I cannot do without the rail!

I have also had my head panned in my these rails when I thought I could use them to haul myself to my feet from my smaller chair and the thing comes down straight on your noggin.

[jackandahat]

"Oh yeah, they are common in the UK, thought that was the case everywhere - what do you have in the rest of the world then? "

I wouldn't know, I'm in England. ;)

And yeah, they are a bit of a problem with then look solid, and turn out to be movable.

[lisy_babe]

Yep, as the other commenter remarked, they're hinged.

[jadelennox]

I HATE that. At work, it's installed so low below the rail that I actually can't really reach it while sitting down. My hands don't twist that way.

[barakta]

Not to mention the dryer is sufficiently away from the sink as to be useless! Total design fail, -either trying to cram too much into the space or not thinking through what they have.

sometimes I wish they'd go for fewer features done well rather than loads badly!

[lisy_babe]

I couldn't get further away to take a wider shot. There's a massive amount of wall to the right of the sink with *nothing* on it. They could easily put the loo roll just below where the hand dryer is now and put the dryer slightly to the right of the sink.

[trialia]

Wow. That's pretty damn ridiculous.

[pauamma]

I'm not familiar with accessible design, but can you use the sink at all? There doesn't seem to be enough clearance to come close, judging from the pic.

[lisy_babe]

That's about the one thing in this room that's OK. It's only a small basin which means that it doesn't get in the way of itself making the tap hard to reach.

[roserodent]

I must snaggle me a picture of the "accessible" (hah hah!) toilets in Waverley station. You would be on the floor laughing. You can't even sit on the pan because the sink is digging into your legs. Where you are meant to put a wheelchair I will never know, and my dad (blind) came out covered in bruises because of all the protruding ledges. He had no option but to use the disabled because men's and ladies' are different directions through a pay turnstile and he was traveling with a female and they wanted her to pay to escort him to the door. DUH!