Looking for toilets

The search for a model disabled-friendly rest room yielded some interesting results.

I was involved in an unusual assignment a week ago. Together with another gentleman in a wheelchair, accompanied by a team of experts from the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), our montley crew went out as “roving investigator” in Petaling Jaya.

We went to look at, of all things, toilet. And we were only interested in loos that were user-friendly for disabled and elderly individuals.

The purpose of our trip was a well-known hotel. We oozed and aahed at most of the outfit’s disabled-friendly designs. The most impressive was the entry/exit door of the loo, which was an electronic one.

All a patron in a wheelchair needed to do was press a button with one finger and presto: it would open for him. Once inside he has only to push another button. The door closes, offering him all the privacy he needs.

If only all other hotels in the country would follow the good example of the hotel we visited and provide electronics doors as well, it would make the lives of disabled and elderly persons much easier when they visit such outfits.

Even though posh hotels may have disabled-friendly loos little attention is given to he doors. The doors are often so heavy that we have a hard time trying to open them.

Not everything was smooth sailing during our assignment. Together with the good came the not-so-good.

We had a lesson on how important it was to train everyone to handle an emergency.

When we tried to get into the loo for the first time it suddenly got locked and refused to open untill 20 minutes later. None of the staff knew how to open the door.

They claimed the person in charge was not around. Fortunately, this was not real emergency. We dreaded to think of what could happened if disabled person had fallen inside the loo and needed help.

It was disappointing too that the five-star hotel had a steep ramp at its entrance which disabled guests were forced to use to access the building.

The reserved parking lot for disabled was located far from the entrance to the building.

The management promised to rectify the situation soonest possible.

Our journey also took us to Ikea and Ikano shopping centers in Mutiara Damansara.

No sooner had we arrived when we were greeted by smiling security guards at the generously-size parking lots for the disabled. These people are so serious about their car parks for the handicapped that they clamp any unauthorized cars and make them pay a fine for abusing the facilities.

The money collected is donated to a local charity for disabled.

I was shocked to hear about the reactions of some people who misuse the disabled parking bays. One or two of them even resorted to violence when their cars were clamped, I was told.

The majority, however, apologetic when they realized the errors of their ways.

As for the toilets, especially Ikea’s, I think they have close to the perfect one I’ve seen so far.

The toilet is spacious enough for a helper to accompany a disabled person. There’s an alarm bell (panic button) in case of emergency and a face mirror that leans slightly downwards from a strategic height to allow a wheelchair-user to view his upper body.

We were all touched by the willingness of these two shopping centers to improve on what they were providing for shoppers.

(Articles written by Anthony Thanasayan - athanasayan[at]yahoo.com)