Handicapped bathroom stall question?

Many handicapped people can be pretty nasty about this kind of thing. By law they are supposed to *be able to access the facilities* That does not mean that everybody has to get out of their way and they should never have to wait but alot of them sure do think that.

There was an incident in my hometown where a mother had brought her handicapped daughter who was in a wheelchair to a Saturday matinee movie. They arrived moments after the feature had started and the theater was packed full. This mother actually believed that another mother and her child who were sitting in and around the handicapped spot should have to leave and give her their space. She kicked up a stink with the theater manager but he held his ground. He tried to provide other accomodations for the handicapped child but the mother refused and ended up writing a poison pen letter to the newspaper. Tough for them. Maybe with a handicapped child you should try to anticipate problems like this. She could have called the theater manager ahead of time. She could have gotten to the movie early. There's any number of things she could have done but didn't. Yes, the handicapped should have access but they are just like the rest of us (so they say) and from time to time should expect inconvenience. They're handicapped. They aren't VIP's....

I was told at a training on the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) training that the only handicapped facility that requires a special disability to use is handicapped parking. Any body is welcome to use any of the other facilities.

That being said - if I realized that there was a person that needed to use the handicapped stall - I was the next in line- and the handicapped stall came open I would offer for them to step in ahead of me.

I have a handicapped lavatory in my house and use them when ever I can away from home - due to my height and a muscle condition that I have. I will often allow others behind me in line go into the regular stall that has opened up so that I can use the handicapped stall when I becomes available.

As in the rest of life there are polite people and not polite people in the handicapped community - and of course you never know how the last few people that a person ran into has treated them.

I'm betting she didn't even realize she was being rude. Change your thinking. She's walking with a cane which means she's probably not walking as fast as everyone else. Now imagine how fast you walk when suddenly you get a bought of diarrhea for what ever reason. You never know why she had to come into that bathroom. I know I get a little bit sharp on the edges when I REALLY have to go. That's probably all that happened, and instead of doing the polite thing and saying, "I really can't hold it, do you mind." she was embarrassed or not thinking straight because she had to go so badly.

Don't let it bother you, you did the correct thing by letting her go first, try not to let it bother you. There's could be a million other reasons why she needed that stall before you.

Yeah I've seen people in wheelchairs coming out of the handicapped stall before, most times they also carry a bag for their waste, so about the only time you see one being used by one, is when they need to empty it, most try ot avoid that because it makes them sort of self consensus to be seen in a stall. Unless you know someone who is in a wheelchair, then what their life is like is a total unknown to people who don't need to use one. They are also used by people who require the aid of a walker to get around when they are away from home.

If it was a handicapped stall, then let her go first.

If it wasn't, then she should have waited, or at least asked.

She did seem rude about it, but it was not a situation to make a fuss about it.

Handicapped people do not need to be in a wheelchair, although I think the stalls are designed to accommodate a wheelchair.

Perhaps she still had mobility issues such that a wider stall was needed (some people with hip or knee problems use a cane).

I have never had this happen to me.

Good question for all of us to think about.

Glancing at a person doesn't give any clues to their physical conditions. So, cane versus wheelchair doesn't mean much. True enough, she could have been- should have been- polite, but unless I were on the verge of wetting my pants, I would have given her priority. I think in a line situation, it's up to the handicapped person to come forward to the front of the line and confirm with the others waiting that they'd like to use the special stall, next. Most people aren't mind readers and don't have eyes in the back of their head.

As a disabled person I choose to wait in line just like everyone else. My disability does not prevent me from waiting a few extra minutes and lines are lines to me. I feel they should be respected and I should wait my turn.

However some people both disabled and able people alike, feel that we should never wait. Generally, I find this is a poor attitude, but I see how from some people this would be useful. Many of the other conditions make toileting an emergency that needs to be taken care of now, or done at certain regular intervals.

So in conclusion I would forget about this lady, avoid using the handicapped stall when you can, but go if you need to. I won't complain ;).

you should only use a handicapped stall if there are no handicapped people waiting for it. in this case there was a handicapped person that was waiting and probably couldn't stand in line like everyone else.the handicapped stalls are made for handicapped people so they should always get to use them before an able bodied person. so she just told you that it was a handicapped stall (that wasn't mean of her) and she said it like you were doing something wrong because you were, you should always make sure a handicapped person isn't in need of that stall before you try to use it.

She was perfectly within her rights to go ahead of you. Do you use a cane to walk? Are you able to stand or walk without assistance? If so, you are NOT handicapped. It is illegal for an able bodied person to use a handicapped stall when there is a handicapped person waiting to use the facilities.

As for being rude, I can't much blame her. She has probably been made to wait many times for an able bodied person to get out of the handicapped stall, only to find that the stall is unusable because the able bodied person left filth all over. I don't blame her in the least.

People take advantaged of their handicaps. I've seen buses pull up, people in scooters/ with canes/wheelchairs get on the bus before everyone despite getting their after the line formed, then once they're on the bus they move around to find the best seat. Not fair.

She should have waited in line like everyone else. Have a special stall doesn't mean she also gets a special priveledge to cut the line.