Category: Daily Living
I found this artical on the web. However I just thought I could put it up with a few questions in hopes of some replies.
User-friendly toilets
WHEEL POWER
By ANTHONY THANASAYAN
Here are some points to consider in making our toilets user-friendly for the visually-impaired.
THE wonderful thing about being a disabled person in Malaysia is that when you require assistance, four out of every five Malaysians will come to your aid.
The only problem is that you sometimes have to call out to them for help.
But people who see you struggling, in your wheelchair, with a heavy bathroom door, may not rush forward to help you. I’ve been told by many able-bodied
people that it’s because they do not know if they should help, fearing that the disabled person might snap at them for thinking that they can’t do it themselves.
Others tell me that sometimes they only realise, too late, that the disabled person needs help.
Whilst most disabled Malaysians appreciate a helping hand when it is needed, the truth is, we don’t want to be dependent on the able-bodied. It is for this
reason that Malaysians with disabilities are always pushing for the authorities to improve disabled-friendly facilities in the country.
So you can understand why I was thrilled when I read that the Housing and Local Government Ministry plans to include signs in Braille in public toilets
all over the country. According to the news report, the visually-impaired will find it easier to use loos with signage in Braille indicating where facilities
such as bidets, urinals, soap dispensers, hand dryers and garbage bins are located.
A top official from the ministry commented that without Braille signs, the blind have to rely on others for help.
So thumbs up to our government and the National Toilet Cleanliness Cabinet Committee for considering the special needs of the blind patrons in restrooms.
Meanwhile, Kapt Abdul Karim Stuart Russell, secretary of the Support Group Society for the Blind of Malaysia, has raised the following points for the committee
to consider:
Tactile ground surface indicators for the blind help orientate them to the location of public toilets. These must be properly placed and maintained. Note:
Tactile markings are only of limited help if no information in Braille is provided outside and inside the toilets to help the blind use the facilities.
Standard uniform layout is essential in assisting the visually-impaired to overcome difficulties when using public toilets. Even slight differences can
cause serious problems, distress and pose a possible danger to the blind.
Floors should be free of obstructions such as steps, open drains, and broken or missing tiles.
Designs should ensure that counters, cubicles, doors, etc, are free of sharp edges and other dangers.
Locking devices of toilet cubicles must be simple but effective. The designs must provide tactile evidence that the door is locked.
There should be regular maintenance to eliminate any defects in the facilities.
It would be useful to include sound orientation devises in public toilets to help the blind find what they are looking for.
The user-friendly facilities should include non-touch sensors for flushing. It must be noted that it is difficult, unhygienic and potentially dangerous
if the blind have to use their hands to search for the facilities.
Other “musts” include observing international standards. For example, Braille signs should be placed at a uniform height, fittings should follow a standard
layout, and facilities should be provided in an ergonomically designed environment.“When it comes to the blind, the key word is ‘independence’,” stresses
Karim. The issue of safety and hygiene, and the importance of self-assistance are some of the key considerations.
“Just like sighted persons, the blind need access to clean, safe and convenient public toilets. This is their basic right,” he added.
My Questions,
Funny, been blind all my life, and the only signs I really want or even approach needing are the ones labeling the doors, so I know I'm going into the correct one. I certainly agree things should be done to make bathrooms wheel chair accessible, but braillle signs for the various things in the bathroom itself? Not all that useful, except possibly to the manufacturers of the signs.
i like this idea. i think braille signage is lacking here in the UK, in fact it's non existent. and finding public loos is an issue, for noone ever tells you where they are! i like the stance molasia is taking.
what you want a toilet that has a braille sign saying put ass here? take shit here? lol certain things are just commun sence and the bathroom should be one of them lol
I've always found that the irony of braille signage is simply that once you ahve located the braille you've found what you are looking for in any case. It's the kind of thing sighted people think blind people need or should have somehow. Yes, it's useful to have braille labels on bath rooms indicating gender and it's possible they could say, sink left, stalls right, or something to that effect, but I think any more details would be wasted. I don't know about the rest of you,but I just don't spend that much time in public bath rooms that I need a gps locator, map and helpful sound effects to figure out what to do there. What would help tremendously though would be consistent bath room layout so I could expect the necessary units to be in a certain location, rather than having to randomly choose a direction and walk around, but it'll take all of an extra 30 seconds to locate what I am looking for usually, unless I am looking for a palm tree, those are uncommon in bath rooms I've heard. I think this is not really worth it honestly, and things like better beeping signals on traffic lights or audible bus and public transportation indicators would help blind people in general a heck of a lot more.
The only public restrooms I have trouble with are the ginormous ones like you find at sports venues or in casinos. But in those locations, there are always other people in the Restroom so if I can't figure it out, I ask. Seriously, it would take me longer to find a sign and read it than it would to just follow my ears and get public assistance if I need it. It's not a big traumatic event. This is a nice thought but it seems like overkill to me.
I have found the raised print letters on bathroom doors helpful enough. The tactile letters "men" and "women" tell me when I'm at the correct door.
As far as inside the bathroom, it is difficult in a large room with many stalls to know which ones are occupied. But in a small bathroom with one toilet, one sink, etc. I don't need signs.
I have gone to sporting events and concerts with a date or male friend and had to ask for assistance when in the large women's bathrooms. I just get in line and ask the woman ahead of me in line to help me find an empty stall and then wait for me and help me find my way out of the bathroom once I have washed my hands. I have never had anyone refuse to help, and usually they have been quite friendly and talkative and happy to help.
This is a generous thought, but it isn't necessary. I agree with post five all the way.
It's not that hard to find one's way around a bathroom, whether it has several stalls or not. And public assistance is almost always available. And when it isn't, then hands are a resort as far as paper towel and soap dispensers.
And sometimes, people do try to take me to the wheelchair accessible bathroom. I hate those things! It's like a whole different bathroom in there. I only use them if that's all that's available. But if someone's helping me, I usually tell them that I'd prefer not to use the handicap stall.
As for the location for these signs, maybe there should be a standard location. And like it was stated above, direction to the sinks and stalls would be helpful, but further information might be a little unnecessary. I mean, I go to the bathroom to use the toilet, not to read.
Concerning flushing toilets, many places have automatic flushing anyway. If money will be spent on the toilets, just make them automatic. Bathrooms with automatic everything are so kick ass!
wow. To me, some things are simply unreasonable. The only thing that I'd really like to see is braille signs on bathrooms to tell what gender, but Ii can normally see the picture. But some can't. So braille signs are pretty useful. as for the other stuff... That's perfectly unreasonable. It's dangerous for blind people to use there hands to find the toilet? what? Do they have rabbid animals in there bathrooms over there? Are the toilets filled with scalding hot water verses cold? In which case it'd be dangerous for anyone period. I just had to come see what this topic was about. lol.
I usually don't have any ishues in the batheooms, They are ritty much easy to get arround. Most of them have a simularity to them all that makes it easy to guess wear is what. And Hey, Sometimes it's fun to go exploring. No but really it's not all that hard. If anything, the tile thing would be cool and a bit helpfull to a small exstent. like around the toilet could have rough tiles and then the sink could be small minny tiles and then the rest could be big smooth ones. IDK! But if they did do that, then they would have to find a universal tile code. But I don't really see that happening. I do see a bunch of retarded managers or high up people putting up signs saying, "this is the toilet stall" "This is the senk" So on So on, Even then half the time the braille is wrong. Have you ever see a sign saying Kitchen, When it was really a bathroom? I have a few times, and My fiance Who is in the mireens, Sees a lot of incorrect numbered doors. Beaause they skip number thirteen in print but not in braille.
My wrighting sucks today
Agree about wrong signs. Not at the bathrooms, but I was in a hotel once, where they put the braille signs in upside down. I had an awful time reading them until I turned my hand so the fingers were pointing down so I could read the thing and make sense of it.
Lou
Lol Izzy. In my mind, almost all of that stuff is unreasonable. I agree with the people who said that it might be good for the bigger bathrooms to have signs saying which way the sinks and stalls are. Really though, it's not necisary. A bathroom is a bathroom.
Actually my favorite was one business (I don't remember what it was anymore) that did have braille signs.... but they were well into the bathroom. So if you guessed the wrong one, you were reaching a good ways into the wrong bathroom as it was. Sometimes people just don't use what brains they have, or don't have any.
I don't have a problem. if I need help I ask for it, it's simple. as for the signs? yes, I have seen things labelled wrong, so really, it's a bit much to put braile on everything. money spent that doesn't need to be, that should be used for other things such as better stop signs, Etc.
Question 7: National Toilet Cleanliness Cabinet? Seriously? lmfao. That must be like the height of someone's career in the Malasian government, to be a member of the National Toilet Cleanliness Cabinet. Love it.
Um, yeah I like the braille signs on the doors too, but braille signs inside, na. Thanks, but na.
Um, wow. I just read this. I know the Malaysians have good intentions, but seriously, this is overkill! I've been blind all my life, and have never had major trouble in public bathrooms. If I need assistance, I ask for it. Most of the time, with a little exploration, or by hearing others around me, I can figure out where things are just fine.
iI've hardly ever had trouble in public bathrooms in the UK myself. First, when I go in, when I reach the place where the loos are located, I listen for who goes in or out of either door or even look at which way the door opens, to the left or too the right, which will tell me whether I'm entering the little girlsor little boys rooms (the latter woulbe by accident of course, lol). Once I'm in there, I just aim for the place, normally the lefthand side of the bathroom in the UK, where the cubicals are located and feel along the row to one which is empty and which doesn't have a broken lock or one of those laminated out of order signs. When I'm done, I just listen for clues as to the whereabouts of the sinks/hand basins to wash my hands, the soap dispensers are usually located above the sinks in the middle, then the hand dryers are located to the right hand side of the sinks, same with the paper towels and bins. Braille signs in public loos is rather overdoing it methinks, lol.
Jen.
Braille signs on the inside? Wow! The print signs weren't on the inside too, were they?
Even if places don't have braille signs, I know how to read raised print.
Agree with jen. Just what's the point of having a sign in the public bathroom?
Hahahahaha, This is a joke right...? This idea is not even worth the time. The gender signs should be enough. A blind person should be able to find stuff just fine with there canes.