Potty Potential (Accessibility for One is Accessibility for All)

   I have never liked public restrooms. Even before I became mobility challenged, I cringed at the thought of using them. While there were some pleasant surprises over the years, most of the facilities I encountered ranged from "ewww" to "better wear a hazmat suit." Because standing was never really an option for me, remedies for these conditions ranged from covering the seat with toilet paper to just squatting and balancing over the toilet.

Sometimes the only choices are crappy ones...

Yep, that's a window!

Now that I have added equipment to enhance my mobility, I dread having to use a public facility.

   First, you have to get to the bathroom. This often involves traversing long narrow hallways through several zip codes just to get to the door. Oftentimes, these corridors are filled with numerous obstacles ranging from couches and chairs to storage boxes and discarded equipment for you to struggle past.

   Should you make it that far, you now face a door that most likely weighs more than a semi truck loaded with steel coils. Seriously, it's daunting enough for the able bodied, but imagine trying to reach over your assistive device to wrangle open the door (because it is too heavy to just push with your device), then try to keep the door open while you enter with bulky equipment that often requires two hands to maneuver.

   If you do get in, you get a gold medal, but no guarantee you will be able to use the facilities.

   Once through the door, you generally have to travel past all the other stalls back to the other end of the building to reach the handicapped stall, the only one that is big enough to accommodate whatever equipment you might be using. Hopefully it is not out of order, has a door that shuts and locks, and is not being used by an employee as a break room.

   Providing you get lucky enough to access the aforementioned stall, you then find yourself facing complicated engineering choices made for that space....

Okay, lots of space...

But did I mention that I'm SHORT?

    At least this facility had toilet paper.

   As if engineering choices weren't enough of an issue, some places try to spiffy things up as well in a misguided attempt at decor...

   I suppose the cabinet could be considered artsy, but I wasn't sure where I was supposed to put the electric scooter. I would hate to think of what trying to transfer from a wheelchair would be like. Clean and simple would have been a better option. I went there to use the facilities, not put away my laundry. Incidentally, the cabinet was empty, I checked. What a waste of space!

   Now if you manage to successfully navigate all these steps and actually use the facilities, you will need to wash and dry your hands. While the sink may be at the correct height and wheelchair friendly, you most likely will find it located next to the door, which will be problematic if anyone should wish to enter the restroom. Drying your hands afterward is the next challenge. If there is a REAL air dryer (one that blows more than a puff of air that wouldn't constitute a faint breeze), you are in luck. Otherwise, you need to hope whoever installed the paper towel dispenser wasn't tall, especially if you are in a wheelchair or utilizing other seated mobility equipment. If this is the case, you either have to blow on your hands for all eternity, or wipe them on your clothes to dry.

To be honest, I've totally given up on these last steps and just carry hand sanitizer.

   Finally, there is one last hurdle. Getting out of the bathroom. Remember the really heavy door? Well now you have to somehow find a way to position your equipment and reach the door, then pull it open and maneuver your way out.

Good Luck.

   If you're looking for me, I'm currently living in a restroom facility located in fast food chain waiting for another patron to happen by and let me out. I've given up any hope to be discovered by an employee as the previously recorded date of cleaning is from 1987 and I used the last of the toilet paper.

All pictures are my own, unless otherwise specified in the captions.