Question for powerchair users

[Sambo]

Do any of you powerchair users find that you have navigation issues with public restrooms? Any ideas how to navigate the stalls when all you can do is transfer off the chair onto the toilet.

[Milhous]

no answer for you.

I have trouble sliding back from the toilet to the w/c by myself so I have to have help as it is a uphill slide for me.
Some bathrooms do not have enough room.
It is sad to think that we have to plan our excursions as to where the best bathroom is.

[Sambo]

You got that right. It is a real pain with plans

[kebsa]

it is frustrating, i find that newer buildings seem to be better while older buildings tend to have smaller disabled access restrooms- the smaller ones see to assume that we are all in the small compact manual chairs that the younger fitter athletic types might use, certainly not the more bulky electric chairs or scooters.

I certainly have got into the habit of knowing where the best options for my chair are, here in australia a lot of public buildings tend to put infant change tables in disabled toilets too rather than have both, then the table does not get folded away and prevents access to the toilet, that really bugs me!!

i have gotten more mouthy about this issue over time and now where a public place has a rest room but it really is not suitable for most of us, i tend to give written feedback to the managment. IN their defence, if you think back 20yrs ago you tended to see far less of the large power chairs and scooters around i think public transport, even the chairs themselves were so more limited that many more of us would have been restricted in where we could go without help- just a thought. We must be getting more in number out and about when there is debate about whether we are a risk to pedestrians ( a report that was on tv here a while back!) i think it is taking the community in general as well as architect to review whether current standards are suitable- thats why i contact management, i figure if they get enough people saying that what they have supplied is inadequate and could lead to injury, it may eventually have an effect otherwise they are free to assume that what they have supplied is quite adequate

[kellygrn]

Not pretty BUT...

it will get the job done. Drive up to the commode. Facing the commode. Transfer facing the wall or back of the commode. Only thing I have come up with. But then sometimes the door won't close. If your modest, well.

KK

[frogvalleyve]

it's really annoying..

I have also noticed how even new bathrooms, so called up to date, don't really have room for turning around, and getting back out. Luckily, I am still able to lurch off my scooter, and lurch into the stall, but I have had to get my husband to come into the bathroom, to get my scooter back out..grr

[bubbadan]

Sambo, I also find it very difficult at times to get my power chair in and out of public restrooms. If the owners of these establishments would spend one whole day trying those restrooms for themselves in a power chair, maybe they would get the idea, ya think..