Trailblazing Unleashed

While some of you may find this hard to believe, I have actually been cursed at several times for using the accessible restroom stall in crowded spaces! Usually, I exit the stall, and some older woman yells at me about being inconsiderate, and immediately regrets her life choices as soon as she sees Trace exit the stall behind me. While the experience is pretty funny, its relatively uncomfortable for everyone involved. It also begs the question, how should we approach accessible restrooms, both as the disabled community and those without disabilities?

Here’s what I’ve learned about using the handicapped stall, and who gets to be mad about it.

History of Accessible Bathrooms

Early Advocacy and the Architectural Barriers Act (1968)

• The Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) was the first major U.S. law to mandate accessibility in federally funded buildings.
• It required that facilities designed, constructed, altered, or leased with federal funds be accessible to people with disabilities.
• This laid the groundwork for future accessibility standards, including restrooms.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – 1990

• The ADA is a landmark civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in public life.
• It expanded accessibility requirements to employment, transportation, public accommodations, and government services.
• ADA compliance became mandatory for most public and commercial buildings, including restrooms.

ADA Standards for Accessible Design

• These standards specify the dimensions, layout, and features required in accessible stalls:
  • Minimum width: 60 inches
  • Grab bars on side and rear walls
  • Door clearance and swing that accommodates wheelchair users
  • Toilet height between 17–19 inches from the floor
• These features ensure usability for people with mobility impairments, including wheelchair users and those with service dogs.

So what does that actually mean?

Lots of people over several decades have worked to make accessible restrooms apart of our daily lives (thank you!). These bathrooms were originally intended for anyone with mobility issues, service dogs, or any other physical restrictions. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use one of these larger stalls if you aren’t disabled.

Etiquette – who goes first?

Here’s where get into a bit more of the messy part. Yes, anyone can use a larger bathroom stall. However, in a line of fifty people using the first available stall, and the person directly in front of me and my service dog beelines for the big stall, it makes my trip to the bathroom a lot longer. It gets even worse when everyone wants that larger stall.

All in all, I really don’t mind waiting a few extra minutes to use the bathroom. Such is life, and it happens to us all. What I absolutely hate is when someone decides to argue with me about if I’m allowed to use the bigger stall.

The last time this happened, I was exiting the stall, and a larger woman yelled at me (and I mean yelled, it scared the shit out of me) about how someone as skinny as me doesn’t need the bigger stall. She went on and on about how disrespectful today’s youth is with no regard for other people’s comfort. She got about three sentences in when Trace started growling.

For those of you who know Trace, he doesn’t traditionally grow in public. However, he is extremely protective of me and did not take kindly to this lady yelling at me.

That was when she realized that I had full rights to use the larger stall, as Trace and I cannot physically fit into the smaller stall. She eventually huffed and tried to shove around us into the stall. This isn’t to make fun of her, but to remind you dear reader, that if you’re going to insult someone over using an accessible stall, you better make damn sure they aren’t disabled first. This is also a great time to remind you that not all disabilities are visible, and you are no more entitled to access than anyone else is.

So if you’re going to get belligerent in a bathroom, maybe don’t do it to the woman with very protective pitbull attached to her hip. Unless you like getting barked at.

Be kind (especially in bathrooms!) and Trailblaze on!

— Kaya and the Trailblazing Unleashed Pack